A fiddler, composer, and arranger from the small town of Kuttawa, Kentucky, Kate began playing violin at the age of eight with the encouragement of her grandmother, and at seventeen, she moved to Nashville to pursue her dream of attending Belmont University. During her freshman year, her teacher, Ryan Joseph, gave her the assignment to write a bluegrass tune, and it was love at first write. She is a recent double alum from Belmont, graduating with a Master in Music with an emphasis in Media Writing/Arranging and a Bachelor of Music with emphases in Performance and Composition/Arranging. Kate writes music varying from bluegrass tunes to orchestral compositions, and she has experience creating arrangements ranging from orchestral scores to jazz band charts. With over fifteen years of experience playing violin, she is classically trained, but she also specializes in country, bluegrass, and Celtic.
While at Belmont, Kate has been provided a great number of performance opportunities. As a member of the Bluegrass Ensemble, she had numerous performance opportunities both on campus and off, including traveling to Los Angeles to perform for a couple of events during Grammy week and playing multiple shows at the Station Inn. Additionally, an all-female iteration of the ensemble performed with The Isaacs at the 10-year anniversary of Song Suffragettes to honor Wynonna Judd. Her biggest accomplishment with the ensemble was opening a show at the Grand Ole Opry. In addition, Kate has been a member of the Symphony Orchestra, Classical String Quartets, Belmont Strings, and the World Fiddle Ensemble, and she has also performed as a guest with Jazz Band I, Phoenix (Belmont’s premier pop-rock ensemble), Percussion Ensemble, and Southbound (Belmont’s country ensemble). She was also featured in the string quartet for Russell Dickerson’s music video for his song “Bones.” Additionally, she was selected to perform in student orchestras accompanying Ricky Skaggs, Andrea Bocelli, Pia Toscano, Trisha Yearwood, Michael W. Smith, Lauren Daigle, and CeCe Winans. Not afraid of hard work, Kate is an Archer Presidential Scholar, maintained a 4.0 throughout her high school and college career, and was selected as the Belmont College of Music and Performing Arts Sophomore Student of the Year in 2022.
Outside of Belmont, Kate served as the staff fiddle player at the Kentucky Opry for six years, which gave her the opportunity to open for several country music artists, including Trace Adkins, John Conlee, Jimmy Fortune, Loretta Lynn, Travis Tritt, Josh Turner, Gene Watson, and others. She has won awards in numerous fiddle contests across the country, and in 2018, she was one of seven violinists from the state of Kentucky selected to attend Kentucky’s Governor’s School for the Arts. She has performed with artists such as Cody Fry, Ben Rector, Cory Wong, Scott Mulvahill, Matt Maher, Mo Pitney, Cody Kilby, Leona Williams, Josh Williams, and the Gibson Brothers, and she was privileged to open for Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder at the Ryman Auditorium in 2019. She also has studio experience as both an orchestral player and a soloist, and she has played on releases for artists such as Eliana Ficke, Breanna Corjuc, Mackenna Swann, and Kimmie Simon. In addition, Kate recently released her single “The Angsty Duck” as well as an EP of mostly original music, titled Chords of the Cumberland.
Kate strives to use her talents and her career to glorify God and to be an influence on other young fiddlers and musicians entering the music industry. She has been blessed with phenomenal mentors and role models in her life, so she has a passion for teaching and helping kids hone their own musical abilities. Kate has served as a graduate assistant at Belmont University, teaching private violin, viola, and mandolin students as well as teaching the Fundamentals of Music Theory lab. She was a fiddle instructor at the Paducah Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Camp, a counselor at the Belmont University String Crossings Camp and Vocal Arts Intensive, and a composition instructor at the Belmont Preparatory Piano Camp. She has also had several private students and has taught at the W.O. Smith Music School, an organization in Nashville that seeks to serve children who might otherwise be unable to afford music instruction.
At present, Kate is contracting and performing at shows and events in the Nashville area, writing fiddle tunes, and always perfecting her craft. Her mentor, Jenee Fleenor, attests to her capabilities. She notes, “Her musicianship is outstanding: she is a talented fiddle player, she writes excellent charts, and she contributes creatively and musically in every situation. Beyond her skills, Kate brings great character and a collaborative spirit. I have no doubt she would be a valuable addition to any band or musical project she becomes a part of.” Are you looking for the next addition to your writer’s room, recording project, tour, live show, or other event? Consider getting to know Kate Ward.