SJL - Kate Pass

Kate Pass is a double bassist and electric bassist from Western Australia with a passion for composing and performing original music.

She has completed several tours nationally and internationally, performing at an array of festivals and events in Asia, New York and Europe with highlights including performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Provincetown Playhouse in New York, WOMADelaide, Singapore International Jazz Festival, Penang Island Jazz Festival, Ghent Festival in Belgium and Bergmannstrasse Festival in Germany.

Kate has performed around Australia with several high-profile Persian musicians including Mohsen Namjoo, Moien, and Tara Tiba. These experiences ignited a passion for Persian music and led to the formation of the Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble, a unique ensemble that serves as a platform for Kate’s original compositions that explore elements of Persian music in a jazz context. Since forming in 2016, Kohesia Ensemble was nominated for two WAM Song of the Year Awards for both the Jazz and World Music categories, and a Music Award at Perth Fringe Festival.

Kate has been the recipient of several grants and scholarships including the ECU Academic Excellence Scholarship, WAYJO Jack Bendat Travel Scholarship, ArtStart Australian Council for the Arts Grant and DCA Commercial Development Grant. These have enabled her to develop her career through performance and study locally, in the USA and Europe at institutions such as WAAPA, New York University and Conservatorium van Amsterdam.