Catherine Lynn Steele was an active translator, instrumentalist, singer, and composer. She began composing at the age of nine and had her first composition, Conglomera, premiered by her Junior High School Orchestra in Hingham, MA in 1964. She received a degree in Spanish from Smith College in 1973, and later studied to be a translator at the Monterey Institute. In 1982, Steele received her Master's degree from American University, where she composed a full length opera, Dominique, and went on to receive a Doctorate from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in 1993. An active member of the American Women Composers of Massachusetts, she served as the organization's vice-president in 1993 and then as president from 1993 to 1996. After receiving her doctorate, Steele's interests turned more towards singing than composing although her works were still performed, both by herself and by others. One of her main interests was in Scandinavian composers and art song, which she traveled to Sweden to study in the summer of 1999. She had been diagnosed with cancer, yet remained a vibrant and active personality, giving concerts and remaining active as a musician until her death on December 10, 2002.