$8 IN ADVANCE / $10 AT THE DOOR
4:30PM DOORS / 5PM SHOWTIME
ALL AGES
KATIA CARDENAS
Katia Cardenas is a jazz and R&B vocalist in the Twin Cities, recognized for her radiant energy, impeccable range, and dynamic and powerful voice. She has performed locally since 2014 at respected venues, including Dakota Jazz Club, Crooners Lounge, Vieux Carré and Jazz Central Studios, and released her debut EP, "I'll Be Seeing You" in June 2016.
Making music in the Twin Cities has been a family tradition ever since her father, Mark Cardenas, joined Morris Day and The Time in 1983, appearing in Prince's iconic film "Purple Rain," and later playing in Jessie Johnson's Revue. Her mother, singer-songwriter Janis Kelly, also began her singing career here at that time. While her family left MN before she was born, Katia's emergence on the local music scene has not gone unnoticed. Deemed "one of the fastest rising stars on the Twin Cities jazz scene," Jazz Police also describes her as "a young but veteran vocalist who can cover Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, yet is equally adept at modern folk/pop/blues," while Rhythm & Grooves (KFAI 90.6) says, "Katia Cardenas has the pipes to get over an R&B tune, but also has the instincts and subtlety to handle jazz standards." ...
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$8 IN ADVANCE / $10 AT THE DOOR
4:30PM DOORS / 5PM SHOWTIME
ALL AGES
KATIA CARDENAS
Katia Cardenas is a jazz and R&B vocalist in the Twin Cities, recognized for her radiant energy, impeccable range, and dynamic and powerful voice. She has performed locally since 2014 at respected venues, including Dakota Jazz Club, Crooners Lounge, Vieux Carré and Jazz Central Studios, and released her debut EP, "I'll Be Seeing You" in June 2016.
Making music in the Twin Cities has been a family tradition ever since her father, Mark Cardenas, joined Morris Day and The Time in 1983, appearing in Prince's iconic film "Purple Rain," and later playing in Jessie Johnson's Revue. Her mother, singer-songwriter Janis Kelly, also began her singing career here at that time. While her family left MN before she was born, Katia's emergence on the local music scene has not gone unnoticed. Deemed "one of the fastest rising stars on the Twin Cities jazz scene," Jazz Police also describes her as "a young but veteran vocalist who can cover Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, yet is equally adept at modern folk/pop/blues," while Rhythm & Grooves (KFAI 90.6) says, "Katia Cardenas has the pipes to get over an R&B tune, but also has the instincts and subtlety to handle jazz standards."
As part of a musical family, she grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and was raised on a strict diet of jazz, funk, and R&B. As a teen, she moved to Sacramento, CA, where she received a Waldorf education, and began singing in jazz choirs and performing in clubs with her mother's funk band, The Groove Ambassadors. Katia came to the Twin Cities in 2006 to attend Macalester College, where she performed in a cappella groups The Macalester Sirens, and Late Night Menu, and student jazz combos. After graduating, music was just a side note for a few years as she pursued a career in acting and theater education. But in 2013, after realizing the significant lack of music in her life, and needed to make a change.
Since her Twin Cities debut performance in February 2014, she has collaborated with numerous local musicians, exploring different musical styles, including jazz, latin, R&B, and pop. In October 2014, she performed her first of many shows at the world-renowned Dakota Jazz Club, and by July 2015, she was invited to sing as the featured artist for the grand opening of their new St. Paul venue, Vieux Carré (formerly The Artist Quarter). In August 2015, she also joined Casablanca Orchestra (CBO), the Midwest's premiere show band.
Katia is passionate about creating community around the arts and has engaged with numerous local artist networks including Jazz Central Studios, Twin Cities Cabaret Artists Network (TCCAN), and Minnesota Music Coalition. As an actor and arts administrator, she also works with local theater companies Teatro Del Pueblo, Pangea World Theater, Dakota Foundation for Jazz Education, and TigerLion Arts. The people shes met through the Twin Cities arts and music community are a huge part of where she is today; they are a constant inspiration, and reminder to pursue her dreams.
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