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Kathryn Ballard Shut

Classic jazz pianist, originally from Kansas City, living in the Denver metro area

About Me

KATHRYN {BALLARD} SHUT is an accomplished jazz pianist, vocalist, and music agent, living and working in the Denver, Colorado live music scene, who grew up surrounded by music and musicians.

Classically trained in the piano beginning at age 8, and incorporating jazz into her diet by age 14, Kathryn also learned to play woodwinds such as clarinet and all saxophones, and has been a prominent member of several jazz orchestras such as The Colorado Jazz Workshop under the direction of famed trumpeter Hugh Ragin, lending lines on clarinet, tenor sax, and piano for over 5 seasons.

Kathryn holds over 60 hours of Music Education from Central Missouri State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish Language from Rockhurst University in Kansas City in 1995.

Kathryn currently co-leads a classic jazz combo called 'Lost Soul' (see http://MySpace.com/denverlostsoul) and is the pianist in the long-standing vocal combo, 'The Amy Kay Combo', which performed at both the D-Note and Bliss Cafe in Arvada, Colorado for almost two years.

In addition to collaborating with smooth jazz master Tim Ballard (see Mr. Ballard's profile on this site), Kathryn has also worked as a bandleader with Latino film and music stars Daniel Valdez ('Zoot Suit','La Bamba','The Westside Oratorio'), Rosana DeSoto ('La Bamba','Mambo Cafe'), and Jesse Borregos, as well as a pianist with Denver artists Hugh Ragin, Drew Morell, Bijoux Barbosa, Fred Hess, Keith Oxman, Linda Theus-Lee, Mike Evans, Bill Wissing, Mark Brostrom, Kevin MacInness, Jared Johnson, Jean-Luc Davis, Alejandro Castaño, Amy Kitteringham, Julia Wilson, and so many more.

Finally, Kathryn also is co-owner of Denver-based 'TIMKAT Entertainment, Inc', which promotes and books world-class independent jazz, soul, R&B and acoustic talent and is also an active ghost business letter writer for new Italian talent Diana Winter (MySpace.com/dianawinter). She is always on the lookout for many more fresh talents worldwide and invites you to write her at [email protected].