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Kate Kortum Quartet
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Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai
4/F, 139 Nanjing Dong Lu, near Jiangxi Zhong Lu, Huangpu District
南京东路139号4楼, 近江西中路
Kate Kortum Quartet makes its China debut at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai this June. Recommended by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis and presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center, the young New York quartet brings together award-winning vocalist Kate Kortum and a lineup of internationally active jazz musicians for four nights of contemporary jazz performance.
Presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kate Kortum Quartet arrives in Shanghai for its first-ever China performances from June 4 to 7, 2026. The quartet brings together four internationally active jazz musicians who regularly collaborate within the Jazz at Lincoln Center ecosystem in New York.
Leading the group is vocalist Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. The performances aim to recreate the atmosphere of a contemporary New York jazz club experience, featuring a repertoire shaped by classic jazz traditions alongside modern interpretations.
The project is recommended by Wynton Marsalis and features musicians with backgrounds spanning major jazz venues, orchestras, festivals, and education institutions around the world.
Kate Kortum is a New York-based jazz vocalist and winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. A student at The Juilliard School, she emerged from nearly 200 contestants representing 27 countries to win the competition.
Her music combines bebop influences with Broadway-inspired vocal styles. Her albums Good Woman and Wild Woman have received international attention, with Wild Woman surpassing 5.1 million streams globally. She regularly performs at venues including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Birdland, and Blue Note.
Luther Allison is a pianist, drummer, composer, arranger, and educator from North Carolina. He has collaborated with artists including Samara Joy and José James and has worked extensively with Jazz at Lincoln Center.
His debut album I Owe It All To You received a 4.5-star review from DownBeat. Allison is also an educator and serves as Associate Professor of Jazz Studies and Head of Percussion at The Calhoun School in New York.
Born in Vancouver and raised across Madagascar, Beijing, and North America, Jared Beckstead-Craan is an internationally active bassist known for his multicultural musical background.
In 2023, he won the International Society of Bassists biennial competition and received the Scott LaFaro Prize. He performs regularly across North America, Asia, and the Caribbean, and has participated in more than 12 album recordings.
Greek drummer Garyfallia Despoina Kerkezou is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and Manhattan School of Music. Since 2022, she has served as a resident artist and educator at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
She has appeared at venues including the Kennedy Center and participated in the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting broadcast on NBC. She is also active in jazz education programs and workshops.
This is a chance to catch a rising New York jazz quartet in an intimate Shanghai setting without flying overseas. The lineup combines internationally awarded young musicians with deep ties to Jazz at Lincoln Center, bringing a performance style shaped by both classic jazz traditions and contemporary club culture.
For jazz listeners curious about the next generation of American jazz artists, this series offers a close-up experience with musicians who are already appearing on some of the world's major jazz stages and festivals.
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