Kat Reinhert
Inspired by a rich background of jazz, folk and popular music styles, singer and songwriter Kat Reinhert is an artist whose music defies categorization while seamlessly weaving story and sound with deft imagination and creativity. Reinhert writes songs that blend the complexity of jazz harmonies to the lyrical prosody of a singer-songwriter in an easily accessible aural palette. She has a clear and expressive voice that can move effortlessly from a secret whisper of longing to a laughter filled explosion as she moves through each story with authenticity and expression. As a lyricist, she draws from both real-life experiences, as well as those made from whole-cloth or sparked by watching the world with through the lens of an observer. Ever the optimist, Reinhert has a keen ability to dig deep into difficult subjects while never alienating her listeners.
Originally from a small town in southern Wisconsin, Kat Reinhert moved to New York City in 1996 to attend the famed Manhattan School of Music, where she earned a Bachelors degree in Jazz/Commercial Voice. After graduation, she continued to hone her craft on the New York jazz scene as well as develop an interest and passion in education. At about this time, Reinhert also began to develop an interest in writing and crafting original music. Mentored by Jen Chapin, Kat began writing original material for what would become her second album. In 2005, seeking a new challenge, Kat pursued a Masters degree in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Miami, Frost School of Music. Returning to New York, she released her second album, Chrysalis, her first all-original material release. Reinhert continued to perform throughout NYC as well as lead several national tours.
During the next seven years, she worked alongside such noted jazz musicians as Travis Sullivan (Bjorkestra), Anat Fort (ECM), Perry Smith (New West Guitar Trio), Ross Pederson (Snarky Puppy) and David Cook (Taylor Swift). Reinhert recorded two albums: Spark, released in 2015 to critical acclaim containing twelve original songs and a Rush cover, and Home Movie, released in 2017, containing nine creative interpretations of folk songs, covers and jazz standards. Concomitant with these releases, Reinhert obtained a PhD in Music Education, specializing in Popular Music Performance and Pedagogy in Higher Education, at the University of Miami, Frost School of Music. She then became the Director of Contemporary Voice at UM, where she served for two years before choosing to return home to New York City in the Fall of 2019 to pursue entrepreneurship in the performing and creative industries full time.
Kat is currently in the post-production stages of a fifth album of all original material, to be released winter 2021. Featuring Perry Smith (guitar), Jesse Lewis (guitar), Matt Aronoff (bass), Ross Pederson (drums) and David Cook (producer/keys), the album material draws from the challenges, experiences, and influences of maintaining an artistic, creative life and relationships while pursuing parallel passions in education and research, this album is sure to delight listeners with its wit, charm, and hope.
