Kim Kalesti

A culmination of a creative life is New York City artist, Kim Kalesti. Kim Kalesti sees everything through a creative lens. She expresses her philosophical observations on life using watercolor paintings, music compositions, and a picture book series. Experiencing her art invites one into deeper reflections of themselves and the world around them, opening up new possibilities to exploration of the human soul and mind. A prolific visionary artist that works with her intuitive skills, Kim Kalesti has dedicated her life to expressing her emotions and observations in her work. Though Kalesti presents herself through a lighthearted exterior, a deeper look into her work reveals the implications of her life’s struggles. Having been apart of the world of art since childhood, Kim Kalesti has struggled and thrived. She is an accomplished performer and recording artist whose perseverance is a testament to the human and creative she is. Her work displays a lifetime of hardship and prosperity that humans from all backgrounds and origins can find pieces of themselves in. “It was through music and performing that I learned about life. Learning jazz was my master class to becoming prolific in composition, as well as the many inspiring geniuses that I sang with. Clark Terry once told me: “learning comes in three parts: imitate, assimilate and innovate”. Kim Kalesti has taken these three steps of development in to close consideration. As a mature facilitator of creation she expresses her prolific artistry in her catalogue of songs and recordings. The1980’s in New York City was a thriving time with jazz innovators like Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry and Sara Vaughn, to name just a few. An exciting time to be a vocal duet, Kim Kalesti and Marion Cowings stormed onto the scene, bringing their own unique spin to the jazz world. Recording two albums on EmArcy Nippon phonogram, Kyoshi “Boxman” Koyama produced their first major label releases, “Kim and Marion “ and “If You Could See Me Now” with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Eddie Gomez, drummer Al Foster and saxophonist Gary Bartz. Besides performing at club and concert venues, Kim and Marion wrote and performed dozens of Arts in Education Programs through the auspices of Lincoln Center “Meet The Artist” and Young Audience, New York Chapter.

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