Academic Background

MMus (University of Calgary)

Biography

Kathryn Ladano MMus is one of Canada’s premiere bass clarinetists. She is a specialist of contemporary music and free improvisation and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across Canada and abroad.  Several works have been composed for her and her ensembles from some of Canada’s most distinguished composers. Kathryn holds a masters degree in bass clarinet performance from the University of Calgary and an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the University of Waterloo. Her performance instructors have included Stan Climie, Tilly Kooyman and world renowned bass clarinetist and improviser, Lori Freedman. In 2004, Kathryn was a recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts grant which allowed her to study with Lori Freedman in Montréal. Kathryn has participated in workshops and masterclass from world renowned musicians such as bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay and improviser and percussionist, Eddie Prevost. Kathryn has also studied Electroacoustic Composition with Richard Windeyer.

As an enthusiast of bass clarinet repertoire, she has guest lectured in university composition classes across Canada speaking about compositional techniques used in music for her instrument. Kathryn periodically works with young composers and improvisors. She is currently the bass clarinet instructor as the University of Waterloo, the co-Director of ICE (Improvisation Concerts Ensemble) at Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Associate Director of the East-West Music Ensemble based at Conrad Grebel University College.

Kathryn has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the Calgary New Music and Contemporary Showcase Festivals, Calgary’s Nach Hause concert series, the University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, and University of Western Ontario’s noon hour series the Calgary high performance rodeo, the KW Chamber Music Society concert series, Toronto’s Leftover Daylight and NOW series’, the 416 Creative Improvisors Festival, Torontos CONTACT New Music Marathon, the Guelph “Sundays at the Centre” series, at Calgary’s Beat Niq Jazz Club, at Vancouver’s 1067, Kitchener-Waterloo’s NUMUS concert series, and at the Guelph Jazz Festival.. Kathryn has also self-produced numerous concerts in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. Her music has been featured on CBC radio 2, CISM in Montréal, CJSW in Calgary, CKMS in Waterloo, and on TienCC in The Netherlands.

In 2004 Kathryn founded Canada’s first bass clarinet duo, Bass Impact with fellow bass clarinettist, Tilly Kooyman. Bass Impact had the honour of representing Canada and performing a recital of Canadian compositions at the 2005 World Bass Clarinet Convention in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

In 2006 she co-founded the Kitchener-Waterloo Improvisers Collective (KWIC). KWIC’s mandate was to promote improvising musicians, and the improvised music scene in the Kitchener-Waterloo area. KWIC created a concert series of improvised music and brought in several world renowned musicians to host workshops.

Currently, Kathryn performs as a soloist and in a number of ensembles that specialize in new music and free improvisation such as Digital Prowess, Edges, and Stealth; her duo with famed percussionist Richard Burrows. She was a 2008 KW Arts Awards nominee in the music category and a 2010 nominee for KW Oktoberfest Woman of the Year in the “arts and culture” category. Kathryn’s debut CD “Open” was released in September, 2010 and was made possible by a grant from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund. In the fall of 2011, Kathryn completed a Fall Creative Residency at the prestigious Banff Centre for the Arts and she is currently pursuing her PhD at York University.