The Art of the Song: Kate Kortum and Ekep Nkwelle

Vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Howard University, and The Juilliard School, captivates audiences through her deep spirituality, poetic insight, and expansive repertoire—from powerful protest songs to tender ballads. She has the wisdom of the ancestors in her sound. Kate Kortum, vocalist from Houston, Texas, and Juilliard graduate, is the 2025 winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. She interprets the Great American Songbook with an intensely personal musicality, harmonically sophisticated improvisation, and a focus on inhabiting the lyric story. Don’t miss these two rising stars in a double-bill premiere at the state-of-the-art Appel Room—New York City’s premier intimate concert hall, rightfully renowned for its 50' x 83' glass wall with spectacular views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

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