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Kait Dunton

Los Angeles based pianist, composer & arranger Kait Dunton writes and performs heartfelt and lyrical original music and arrangements that revitalize the classic jazz piano trio format.

About Me

Los Angeles based pianist, composer & arranger Kait Dunton was recently highlighted as one of “Ten Future Female Jazz Stars” on Jazz.com. This fall, she began work towards her DMA in Jazz Studies at USC’s Thornton School of Music, studying under Alan Pasqua. Before returning to her home town of Los Angeles, Kait was a Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas for two years, during which time she led a 10- piece contemporary electric ensemble and ran a daily Jazz Piano Fundamentals class. In addition to her teaching duties, Kait had the opportunity to perform and rehearse with classic big bands and Latin jazz ensemble, tour the Southeast with a 10-piece fusion band, and perform her original music in various settings. In 2006, she attended the Banff Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music in Alberta, Canada, an international music residency led by Dave Douglas. It was here that she composed and performed her most adventurous compositions to date, and set the bar for her current through-composed and imaginative compositional style. In addition to her original music, Kait composes adventurous arrangements of jazz standards, including an arrangement of “Stella by Starlight” for UNT’s jazz trombone octet, The U-Tubes, which was performed at the 2008 Kai Winding Jazz Trombone Competition. She has studied under and performed with a number of jazz notables, including Lynn Seaton, Steve Wiest, Dan Haerle, & Stefan Karlsson, and now plays with some of L.A.’s top call musicians.