Vocalist | Composer | Arranger 

Kate Blechinger is an inventive Edmonton based vocalist, composer, and arranger. Originally hailing from Regina, Saskatchewan, Kate has been active in the Western Canadian music scene since 2013, bringing her own unique brand of vocal jazz to the TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival, the Yardbird Suite, and countless other venues.  Musically, Kate takes direct influence from the vast prairie landscapes of her youth to create expansive, evocative compositions and arrangements for listeners to enjoy.  Her “jazz” is the musical equivalent of an artist’s palette, and is definitely a hybrid of sorts; she pairs the harmony, instrumentation and improvisation of more traditional jazz forms with the lyricism of modern jazz and folk genres. What results is a music that is personal, poetic, and playful – and one that involves audiences in a truly eclectic musical journey!

 

Kate Blechinger’s love for Joni Mitchell’s music developed early on in life, and her idea to arrange Joni’s music truly came into being during her time in the MacEwan University music program.  In 2015, Kate had the distinct pleasure of presenting Making Myself with Joni: Rehearsal, Creativity, and The Production of Musical Subjectivity, a presentation about her MacEwan University graduation recital arrangements of Joni Mitchell's music, at "Court & Spark: An International Symposium on The Work of Joni Mitchell" in Lincolnshire, UK. In November 2018, Blechinger released her debut album, Under a Dancing Sky, on Bent River Records. Recorded and produced by Juno Award winning engineer, Paul Johnston, the album features innovative folk-jazz arrangements of Joni Mitchell’s compositions alongside several of Kate’s original songs. Kate’s arrangements and compositions have been featured on CKUA Community Radio, CBC Radio-Canada, CBC Radio Two. In 2019, Kate won the Jazz Recording of the Year award at the Edmonton Music Awards for her version of ‘Night in the City’. “[Her] arrangements are sculpted perfection and Blechinger's voice like liquid peace.” Chris Haynes, CBC News, September 2019.

Kate's performing career is balanced by her work as a private voice and piano instructor, and a position as an Early Childhood Music Lead with the Francis Winspear Centre for Music, where Kate teaches the Music Box Babies program for children aged 0-4 years old. 

 

You can find Kate performing around Edmonton with her own group, as well as 1940's close harmony group, The Jivin' Belles, and The Blue Chair house band, Borrowed and Blue.  Kate is currently workshopping new music with plans to record a sophomore EP in 2023.​