{"id":122751,"date":"2026-06-08T18:33:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T10:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T10:33:29","slug":"kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/","title":{"rendered":"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;182630&#8243;]You don\u2019t have to fly to New York to experience a world-class performance in the heart of global jazz. Rising star Kate Kortum, personally recommended by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis and winner of the 14th Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2025, leads an all-star quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai from June 4 to 7. The performances mark the young jazz star\u2019s China debut. Featuring emerging musicians endorsed by Jazz at Lincoln Center, the engagement is being hailed as one of the must-see jazz events of 2026 for Chinese fans.<\/p>\n<p>Kortum, 25, is from Houston, Texas, and is one of the most closely watched new voices in jazz worldwide. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in jazz vocals from the University of Miami\u2019s Frost School of Music and a master\u2019s degree from The Juilliard School, where she studied with leading figures in modern jazz. She has received multiple DownBeat magazine awards and National YoungArts Foundation honors. As the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition winner, she stood out among nearly 200 contestants from 27 countries, winning over the judges in the final with memorable performances of blues, folk, and Sarah Vaughan classics.<\/p>\n<p>Kortum is known for her warm, distinctive tone and seamless blend of bebop, blues, classic American song, and musical theater. Her storytelling connects tradition and innovation, creating a fresh, modern approach to jazz vocals. Critics describe her as having \u201can old soul and a young heart,\u201d with the ability to make familiar music feel new again. Since her debut, she has appeared on some of the world\u2019s most prestigious jazz stages, including the Newport Jazz Festival, SXSW, Birdland, and Blue Note. She has also performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra led by Wynton Marsalis. Her two albums, Good Woman and Wild Woman, have earned more than 5.1 million streams worldwide. One critic says she is \u201credefining what it means to be a modern jazz singer through her exceptional technique, interpretive depth, and forward-looking relationship with the jazz tradition.\u201d Christian Wiggs, founder of Bandstand Presents, adds: \u201cThis artist has a singular voice and complete command of it, while holding the attention of audiences and fellow musicians alike. That\u2019s rare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For her China debut, Kortum brings her original New York all-star quartet. Her three bandmates are all leading young musicians endorsed by Jazz at Lincoln Center, each with an impressive record. Pianist Luther S. Allison is a multi-instrumentalist equally at home on piano and drums. He graduated from the University of Tennessee and Michigan State University. His debut album, I Owe It All to You, earned praise from DownBeat, and he also performed on the Grammy-winning single \u201cTight.\u201d Allison is now a staff composer for Jazz at Lincoln Center, where Wynton Marsalis has commissioned original work from him; he is also active in jazz education and curation. The New York Times has praised him for \u201creimagining the jazz piano tradition and laying the foundation for a new generation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pic.cyol.com\/img\/20260605\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpeg\" \/>Bassist Jared Beckstead-Craan has an unusually diverse background. Born in Vancouver, Canada, he grew up in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and Beijing, China; those multicultural experiences shaped a distinctive musical voice. In 2023, he won the prestigious Scott LaFaro Award at the International Society of Bassists\u2019 biennial competition. Recognized as a leading young bassist worldwide, he is active in New York\u2019s jazz scene and is a regular performer at Jazz at Lincoln Center.<\/p>\n<p>Drummer Garyfallia Despoina Kerkezou is one of the most exciting women in contemporary jazz drumming. Born into a musical family in Athens, Greece, she holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from Berklee College of Music and a master\u2019s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. A core resident artist at Jazz at Lincoln Center, she has performed at leading venues and events including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting. She has worked with many jazz stars and is widely regarded as a pioneering voice among the next generation of drummers.<\/p>\n<p>This internationally diverse ensemble of young jazz artists, all endorsed by Jazz at Lincoln Center, will perform in Shanghai for just four days. Preserving the essence of classic jazz while bringing a fresh, contemporary perspective, the quartet promises Chinese audiences an authentic New York jazz-club experience. Tickets are on sale through platforms including Maoyan, with early-bird offers nearing their end. Purchase through official channels; seating is first come, first served. Experience the distinctive appeal of a new generation of jazz up close.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;182630&#8243;]You don\u2019t have to fly to New York to experience a world-class performance in the heart of global [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121494,"template":"","article_category":[3283],"article_tag":[],"class_list":["post-122751","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_category-live-performances"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet - Jazzmore<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, makes her China debut with an all-star quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet - Jazzmore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, makes her China debut with an all-star quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jazzmore\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/\",\"name\":\"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet - Jazzmore\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T10:33:29+00:00\",\"description\":\"Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, makes her China debut with an all-star quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u9996\u9875\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u8d44\u8baf\u6587\u7ae0\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u7235\u58eb\u732b JazzMore\",\"description\":\"Everyone loves jue'shi'yue\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cf4687e5f05dfae1a2c73fc618414ff5\"},\"alternateName\":\"\u4e2d\u6587\u7235\u58eb\u4e50\u8d44\u8baf\u7f51\u7ad9\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cf4687e5f05dfae1a2c73fc618414ff5\",\"name\":\"shauncat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png\",\"width\":240,\"height\":80,\"caption\":\"shauncat\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/jazzmore.cn\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet - Jazzmore","description":"Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, makes her China debut with an all-star quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet - Jazzmore","og_description":"Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, makes her China debut with an all-star quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.","og_url":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/","og_site_name":"Jazzmore","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/","url":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/","name":"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet - Jazzmore","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-08T10:33:29+00:00","description":"Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, makes her China debut with an all-star quartet at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/img_9601145bf2e10903277920509af12fbe4330.jpg","width":1080,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/kate-kortum-china-debut-all-star-quartet-shanghai\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u9996\u9875","item":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u8d44\u8baf\u6587\u7ae0","item":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Wynton Marsalis Recommends Rising Jazz Vocalist Kate Kortum for Her China Debut with an All-Star Quartet"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/","name":"\u7235\u58eb\u732b JazzMore","description":"Everyone loves jue'shi'yue","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/cf4687e5f05dfae1a2c73fc618414ff5"},"alternateName":"\u4e2d\u6587\u7235\u58eb\u4e50\u8d44\u8baf\u7f51\u7ad9","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/cf4687e5f05dfae1a2c73fc618414ff5","name":"shauncat","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png","url":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png","width":240,"height":80,"caption":"shauncat"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/cropped-Logo_R-2-e1776265268238.png"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/jazzmore.cn"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/122751","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/122751\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_category?post=122751"},{"taxonomy":"article_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jazzmore.cn\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_tag?post=122751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}