KATE KORTUM

is a 23 year old breakout jazz vocalist from Houston TX. Kortum has a unique, warm sound that is unlike any else - she takes be-bop, blues, songbook, and musical theatre and combines it with captivating lyrics to make a unique experience for audiences searching for the newest jazz sound. She began her love for jazz and music at Houston's legendary High School for the Performing and Visual arts where she concentrated her studies in flute and saxophone, but ultimately fell in love with singing. Her debut album "Good Woman”, released in September 2023 on Bandstand Presents, garnered over 1 million streams just one month after release. The album, now at over 3.5 million streams, reimagines and takes back standards written by men from the perspective of women through imaginative arrangements and interpretations. Kortum has collected an impressive number of accolades in her short career including numerous Downbeat Magazine Awards and National YoungArts awards. She has performed at many historic venues including the Newport Jazz Festival, SXSW Festival, Mezzrow, Dizzy’s, Blue Note, Birdland Jazz Club, and at Jazz At Lincoln Center with the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Kortum has worked with fine musicians like Cyrille Aimée, Sheila Jordan, Peter Bernstein, Benny Benack III, and Wynton Marsalis. Kortum received her undergraduate degree in jazz voice at the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, and she is currently pursuing her masters degree at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City.