Biography

A native of the United Kingdom, Kate began performing at an early age on piano, voice, and trumpet. After spending five years as a chorister she gained a further scholarship to study tuba at Wells Cathedral School for her high school years. During this time she was a concerto soloist at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, regional finalist of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, and toured with the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain.

During four years of study in Manchester Kate performed with a number of local brass bands and orchestras, and studied tuba with James Gourlay, Ewan Easton and Brian Kingsley. She also performed regularly in masterclasses for Roger Bobo, Mel Culbertson, Roland Szentpali and trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger. Kate holds undergraduate degrees from Manchester University and the Royal Northern College of Music, along with a Masters in Tuba Performance and a Masters in Music Theory from Penn State University. She studied tuba with Velvet Brown and was the 2009 winner of the PSU Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition.

Kate completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Iowa, studying with Professor John Manning and Dr David Gier. While in Iowa City she was Musical Director of the Eastern Iowa Brass Band, Vintage Brass (part of the New Horizons organization), and Collegium Tubum (University of Iowa). She was winner of the 2013 GPRTEC Tuba Artist competition. Her doctoral thesis focused on a methodology for aural skills development within the private lesson setting.

From 2013-2018 Kate worked as a music instructor/coordinator for The Salvation Army in Virginia and Washington DC, leading weekly music programs and day-camps for K-12 youth. During this time she was a member of Brass of the Potomac, the National Capital Band of The Salvation Army, the USA Southern Territorial Band and the Rappahannock Pops Orchestra.

Kate is currently employed as a ministry assistant at The Salvation Army’s Pasadena Tabernacle, CA. She is a former board member of the North American Brass Band Association Board of Directors and has been a member of the Athena Brass Band since 2012.