Thomas A. Laskin Virtual Master Class
Katie Ernst
Preview in new tab(opens in a new tab)
January 6 at 6:30 PM | Free & open to the public
Join us as we welcome our first virtual guest of the new year, multi-faceted bassist and vocalist Katie Ernst, at the next Thomas A. Laskin Jazz Master Class on Wednesday, January 6!
As both a bassist and vocalist, Katie has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, among others. The Chicago Reader identified her as “one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene, and she isn’t close to hitting her creative ceiling.”
Katie was invited to represent the U.S. in the 2018 EuroRadio Jazz Orchestra, a commissioned big band hosted in Riga, Latvia. Katie was one of 24 young artist-composers selected for the 2013 and 2014 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program, an international jazz residency program at the Kennedy Center under the direction of pianist and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran.
Meet Katie Ernst
As both a bassist and vocalist, Katie has performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, among others. The Chicago Reader identified her as “one of the brightest lights on Chicago’s jazz scene, and she isn’t close to hitting her creative ceiling.”
Katie is an active bandleader and side-woman in Chicago. She recently established a duo project with clarinetist James Falzone called ‘Wayfaring.’ The duo was featured at the 2016 Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and their debut album I Move, You Move is available on the Allos Documents label. Katie composes and performs with the band TWIN TALK, alongside co-leaders Dustin Laurenzi (saxophone) and Andrew Green (drums). Twin Talk’s self-titled sophomore album is out now on ears&eyes Records. Their third studio album Weaver has received much critical acclaim, and the group was featured at the 2014 Chicago Jazz Festival.
Katie holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.
Watch Katie’s ‘Skylark’ solo
The Thomas A. Laskin Memorial
Jazz Master Class Series
The Thomas A. Laskin Memorial Master Class Series provides insights on this uniquely American form with some of the best musicians in the country. Past guests include Grammy-winners Eddie Gomez and Brian Lynch, plus dozens of industry pros.