Katie Ernst
Musician
Katie Ernst is described by the Chicago Tribune as "a versatile young bassist who plays in far-flung bands and sings with uncommon delicacy and authenticity." She is co-leader of the adventurous Chicago-based jazz trio Twin Talk, folk-jazz duo Wayfaring, indie rock band Edith Judith, and has received widespread critical acclaim for her Dorothy Parker poetry song cycle Little Words, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Recent performances and recognitions include receiving a composing residency at the Ragdale Foundation, performing in Mexico City, MX for a Chicago/CDMX Improvised Music Exchange; performances at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival and Chicago Jazz Festival; representing the USA as bassist and vocalist for the EuroRadio Jazz Orchestra in Riga, Latvia; and being named a Luminarts Fellow in Jazz.
Ernst is an active sidewoman in the jazz and improvised music communities of Chicago, regularly performing with Alvin Cobb Jr. Trio, Gustavo Cortiñas’ Kind Regards, and Ted Sirota’s Hungry Brain Fellowship Trio. She travels throughout the US as a guest artist/clinician for young musicians. She is a teaching artist for the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s Jazz Masters Residency Program in Chicago Public Schools, and serves on faculty at Birch Creek Music Academy for the Jazz I summer program. Ernst joined the board of directors for the Jazz Institute of Chicago in 2023.
Katie Ernst holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY where she studied double bass with Jeff Campbell and James VanDemark.
