Kate Pass is a bassist and composer based in New York City. Originally hailing from Perth, Western Australia, Kate is currently studying her Masters of Music at The New School, NY.

 

Kate has performed at an array of festivals and events in Asia, USA, Europe and Australia with highlights including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, WOMADelaide, Singapore Jazz Festival, Penang Island Jazz Festival, Bern Jazz Festival and Ghent Festival. Since moving to New York, Kate has performed with artists such as Dave Douglas, Anat Cohen, Alison Miller, Carmen Staaf, Rudy Royston and Patricia Brenan. She is currently a member of Dave Douglas’ ensemble “Alloy,” Maya Cohen Quartet and Akihito Gorai Group.

 

In Australia Kate leads “Kohesia Ensemble,” an intercultural group of Iranian and Australian musicians. Kate has released 3 albums with Kohesia Ensemble, including Sand, Sea and Sky Suite, commissioned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. With Kohesia, Kate won the West Australian Music Industry’s “Jazz Act of the Year” in 2022 and 2023, Song of The Year in 2022, and the Perth Fringe World Martin Sims Award in 2020. Kate has toured the US and Australia with Iranian artists such as Tara Tiba, Mohsen Namjoo, Ali Azimi, Marjan Farsad, Pallet and Moein. Kate has recorded albums with ensembles she composes for, including Artemis Orchestra, Carlton/Macpherson/Pass/Valenti and Turiya. Kate has received grants and scholarships from Edith Cowan University, The New School, the American Australian Association, the Jack Bendat Foundation, Creative Australia and the WA Department of Local Government. 

 

As well as being a performer/composer, Kate is also a passionate educator with 15 years of experience teaching at schools, universities and institutions including at The West Australian Academy of Performing Arts and West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra.

 

Kate is also active as an arts manager and administrator, and cares deeply about the promotion of arts in society. She was the President of the Perth Jazz Society from 2019-2023, co-presented the Lyric Lane Jazz Festival from 2021-2023, was the Quest Manager of Fairbridge Festival and served on the Board of WAYJO for four years. Kate currently works for NY record label, Greenleaf Music.

 

Research is also an important aspect of Kate’s work. Her 2013 Honours Thesis (A Transcultural Journey: Integrating Elements of Persian Classical Music with Jazz) led to the formation of Kohesia Ensemble. In 2021, Kate was invited to contribute to the Journal of Intercultural Studies, resulting in the article: From Iran to Australia: Intercultural Encounters in Music. She recently presented on a panel at The Musicological Society of Australia conference, on the topic of practice-based research in Australian Jazz.