"Places": a song recital featuring Kara Baldus and Kelsey Klotz
“I’m a New Soul” by Yael Naim
Kelsey Klotz is a musician and educator in the St. Louis area. She began piano lessons at 7 years old, and began studying voice at age 11. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Musicology from Washington University in St. Louis in 2016. Klotz’s research concentrates on the cultural construction of cool jazz around narratives of white privilege, focusing particularly on Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. In 2010 she graduated summa cum laude from Truman State University with her B.A. in piano, where she was the recipient of the Truman Piano Fellowship. Klotz currently works as a lecturer for the American Culture Studies Program at Washington University and as a music teacher at Immacolata School.
Kara Baldus is a singer/songwriter. She started taking piano lessons at the young age of 5 years old and began playing professionally by age 15. Baldus is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a Masters Degree in Music Performance. Her accomplishments include being chosen for the 2003 IAJE/BET Sisters in Jazz Collegiate All-Stars where she performed at jazz festivals in Italy, France, Holland, Canada as well as the Kennedy Center on the Millennium Stage. In 2013, her original band, Dropkick the Robot, won an award for their song, "Missed Out," in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Baldus’ influences include Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Stevie Wonder, Aimee Mann, and Fiona Apple. She currently teaches jazz piano at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.