Carmen Llop Kassinger has played with the Chicago Sinfonietta since 2000. As a busy freelancer in Chicago, she has played with the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, Grant Park Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Joffrey Ballet, Lake Forest Symphony, and many others. Carmen is also an active chamber musician. Her chamber group, 4spiel, has played many times at the City Winery, among other venues. In the fall of 2019, 4spiel recorded with Adrienne Walker, star of The Lion King on Broadway. Carmen also has a new recording recently released with jazz bassist Zvonimi Tot called "Sarabande Blue." Some of her most memorable performances include playing with Led Zeppelin, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, Diana Ross, Cheap Trick, Brian Wilson, Rod Stewart, Seal, and Elvis Costello. Broadway is one of her favorite genres, and she was the concertmaster for the world premiere of The Producers in addition to many other shows throughout the years.
Carmen received her Master's Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Miami. Before moving to Chicago, she was a member of the Charleston Symphony. She also played with the New World Symphony and spent ten seasons in the pit with the Sarasota Opera.
Besides music, Carmen's other passion in life is athletics. She is an avid Crossfit athlete and played 31st worldwide in the 2019 Crossfit open competition. She recently traveled to compete in the United States national championships in Olympic weightlifting. Carmen lives in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood with her two beautiful and musical daughters, Ava (cello, piano) and Tess (bass, piano), along with her husband Rob Kassinger (bass).