Kate Kortum, winner of the 2025 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition performing at NJPAC. Photo by Fresco Alessandro
(NEWARK, NJ) -- As part of NJPAC's TD James Moody Jazz Festival, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) announced Kate Kortum as the winner of the 14th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition on November 23, 2025.
Hosted by WBGO Radio’s Gary Walker, yesterday’s “The SASSY Awards” presented the Top Five Finalists on the iconic NJPAC stage in front of a live audience and a distinguished panel of judges: TONY-nominated singer/lyricist Ann Hampton Callaway, GRAMMY®-nominated trumpeter Jon Faddis, GRAMMY®-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon, GRAMMY® Award-winning bassist and Artistic Advisor for Jazz Programming at NJPAC Christian McBride, and founding member of The Manhattan Transfer and co-host of WBGO Radio’s Singers Unlimited, vocalist Janis Siegel.
Pulled from almost 200+ entrants from 27 different countries, these gifted young singers represented the next generation of great jazz vocalists. Ultimately, it was Kate Kortum who received the top honor and a $5,000 cash award. Kortum is originally from Houston, Texas, and currently resides in Harlem of New York City. She wowed the judges singing the famous blues song “Easy Come, Easy Go Blues,” a raw and timeless ballad “You’ve Been There” by David Ashley Trent, and “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” a song that Sarah Vaughan performed and recorded.
(LEFT to RIGHT) Candace Jones, Julia Mascardini, Kate Kortum, Emma Smith, and Diamond Franklin. Photo by Fresco Alessandro
Hailed for her warm, distinctive sound that seamlessly blends the blues, bebop and Broadway, Kortum issued her debut album Good Woman (2023) to critical and streaming acclaim, surpassing 3.5 million streams for its imaginative reworkings of jazz standards from a female perspective. Her sophomore release Wild Woman (2025) followed, continuing her fresh, story-driven approach to bebop, blues and The Great American Songbook. A graduate of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and the Juilliard School, Kortum has appeared at Mezzrow, SXSW, Birdland, Blue Note and Dizzy’s, collaborating with Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen, Bryan Carter, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
The Second Place honor and $1,500 prize went to Emma Smith (London, England). Third Place and a prize of $500 was awarded to Julia Moscardini (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Rounding out the Top Five was Diamond Princess Franklin (Philadelphia, PA) and Candace Jones (Hollywood, FL).
The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, also known as “The SASSY Awards”, is open to singers over the age of 18, of all genders and nationalities, from anywhere in the world, and not signed by a major label. Entrants are judged on vocal quality, musicality, technique, performance, individuality, artistic interpretation, and ability to swing. What has become one of the top annual vocal competitions in jazz, The SASSY Awards offers outstanding jazz singers a one-of-a-kind platform for embarking on a career in the music business—and offers audience members a chance to discover the jazz stars of tomorrow.
Past winners include Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, Ashleigh Smith, Arianna Neikrug, Deelee Dubé, Quiana Lynell, Laurin Talese, Samara Joy (GRAMMY® Award winner for Best New Artist 2023), Gabrielle Cavassa and Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim, G. Thomas Allen, Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso, Tyreek McDole, and April May Webb.
The competition recalls the humble beginnings of legendary jazz singer/NEA Jazz Master Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) who, back in 1942, was a Newark teenager and winner of an amateur singing contest at the Apollo Theater. That memorable night helped launch the lifework of one of the most successful, influential jazz vocalists in the history of American music. NJPAC has a long history of preserving and celebrating Sarah Vaughan’s music and impact. In 1999, NJPAC officially proclaimed the street in front of it as “Sarah Vaughan Way.”
For the 14th consecutive year, NJPAC’s TD James Moody Festival is sponsored by TD Bank, which has supported the event since its inauguration, ensuring that the event annually includes free community performances and educational events, as well as mainstage concerts showcasing jazz superstars.
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. by assets, providing over 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Auto Finance, a division of TD Bank, N.A., offers vehicle financing and dealer commercial services. TD Bank and its subsidiaries also offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, NJ.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has served more than 10 million visitors (including over 1.9 million students and families) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.
