Katie Ernst – Professor of Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Bass at Wheaton College

Katie Ernst is a jazz bassist, vocalist, and educator from Naperville, IL. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media and a Bachelor of Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she studied double bass with Jeff Campbell and James VanDemark. As bassist and vocalist, Ms. Ernst has performed at jazz festivals throughout the country, and has received critical acclaim for her “Little Words” project, an original song cycle inspired by the poetry of Dorothy Parker. In addition to teaching jazz bass/theory, and directing the Jazz Ensemble at Wheaton College, Ms. Ernst also coordinates the Jazz Links Student Council program at the Jazz Institute of Chicago.