MoCA\CT Presents: Kate Kortum

  Date: Saturday, May 8, 2027 · 7:00 PM

  VIP: $100 · includes the pre-concert VIP reception and premium reserved table seating

  General Admission: $65

  Senior: $50

MoCA\CT Members receive a 10% discount on tickets.

VIP reception 6:00 PM · Concert 7:00 PM · MoCACT, 19 Newtown Turnpike, Westport, CT

One of the finest jazz voices of her generation.

Kate Kortum is one of the most acclaimed young vocalists in jazz today. At just 24, she has already performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra alongside Wynton Marsalis and won the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition — jazz’s most prestigious vocal prize. MoCA\CT’s galleries are the ideal place to hear her: an intimate room where Kortum’s warm, story-driven phrasing and easy swing land with the immediacy of a great late-night set.

A Juilliard graduate who has also sung at the Newport Jazz Festival and Birdland, Kortum blends bebop agility, blues feeling, and theatrical flair into something entirely her own. With her standout band she performs music from her acclaimed debut Good Woman and her bold 2025 release Wild Woman, reclaiming and reimagining the Great American Songbook through a distinctly modern, female lens.

THE VIP EXPERIENCE

Arrive at 6:00 PM for an exclusive pre-concert reception in Gallery A — a private hour among the contemporary art with complimentary wine, craft cocktails, and a selection of artisanal hors d’oeuvres. Then settle in for the performance at your own reserved, lamplit bistro table. Wine, food, and the best seats in the house — the concert at its most luxurious.

ABOUT KATE KORTUM

Kate Kortum is a 24-year-old breakout jazz vocalist from Houston, Texas, whose warm, distinctive sound blends bebop, blues, the Great American Songbook, and musical theatre with captivating, story-driven lyrics. Her artistry bridges tradition and innovation, offering audiences a fresh, contemporary take on the jazz vocal legacy.

Kortum discovered her passion for music at Houston’s legendary High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she studied flute and saxophone before ultimately falling in love with singing. She went on to earn a degree in jazz voice from the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and a master’s degree from the Juilliard School, studying with some of the leading voices in modern jazz.

In just a few years, Kortum has performed on some of the most iconic stages in jazz, including the Newport Jazz Festival, SXSW, Birdland, Blue Note, Mezzrow, Dizzy’s Club, and Jazz at Lincoln Center with the world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Her collaborations include working with Cyrille Aimée, Bryan Carter, Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen, and Wynton Marsalis. A recipient of multiple DownBeat Magazine and National YoungArts awards, she continues to solidify her place as one of the most exciting young voices in jazz.

Alongside her solo career, Kate Kortum is a member of The Sunhouse Singers, a New York-based vocal trio that has been turning heads since their move to NYC in 2023. Alongside vocalists June Cavlan and Joie Bianco, the trio draws inspiration from Jon Hendricks, The Andrews Sisters, Gene Puerling, and Cécile McLorin Salvant. Together, they have been featured with artists such as Bryan Carter, Charlie Rosen, Emmet Cohen, and Benny Benack III, and have performed at Birdland, Mezzrow, The Django, The Blue Note, and Dizzy’s Club. With a debut album slated for 2025, The Sunhouse Singers are poised to become a vibrant new force in the New York jazz scene.

ABOUT MoCA\CT PRESENTS

MoCA\CT Presents is the flagship concert series of the Museum of Contemporary Art Connecticut (MoCA\CT) — bringing Grammy and Emmy winners and internationally acclaimed artists to perform within our contemporary art galleries, here in Fairfield County. It is rare for a town the size of Westport to host artists of this caliber, and rarer still to experience them this close: the kind of evening you would expect in Manhattan, offered minutes from home. World-class artistry, intimately staged — Fairfield County’s premier destination for contemporary art and live performance.

Refund & Weather Policy

Tickets are transferable to another concert of your choice or other individuals. If a concert is cancelled due to weather conditions, tickets will be valid for the rescheduled date. Please consider the price of unused tickets as a donation. No refunds will be issued.