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Kate Kortum takes top prize at the 14th annual Sassy Awards

The highly anticipated Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition marked the conclusion of the annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival. Kate Kortum, a Juillard graduate from Texas who now resides in New York City, was crowned the first-place winner at the 14th annual competition.

Kortum was among five finalists who performed before a panel of judges and a live audience in the Victoria Theater on November 23, 2025. The finalists were selected from more than 200 entries submitted by vocalists from 27 countries.

“I’ve been pinching myself all day,” said Kortum during her three-song performance. “I’ve been watching this competition for many years. I never thought I’d be here.”

Co-produced with jazz radio station WBGO, the event was emceed by Gary Walker, the host of WBGO’s Daybreak morning show, and was judged by noted vocalists and musicians including Ann Hampton Callaway, Jon Faddis, Nnenna Freelon, Christian McBride and Janis Siegel.

Wearing a full-length red gown and oversized black eyeglasses, Kortum easily connected with her audience; they chuckled during her playful delivery of “Easy Come, Easy Go Blues” and applauded her suspension of notes in “You’ve Been There” by David Ashley Trent. Her distinctive style seamlessly blended the blues with bebop and Broadway.

The SASSY Award, and the $5,000 cash prize that comes with it, will advance Kortum’s musical career, which already includes two jazz albums and collaborations with Peter Bernstein, Emmet Cohen, Bryan Carter and Wynton Marsalis.

Second-time competitor Emma Smith (from London, England) won second place and Julia Moscardini (of Buenos Aires, Argentina) received third.

The competition’s finale also featured a performance by Tyreek McDole, recipient of the 2023 SASSY Award, who released his debut album, Open Up Your Sense, in June 2025. Previous winners of the competition include Cyrille Aimée, Jazzmeia Horn, April May Webb and five-time GRAMMY Award winner Samara Joy.

Kortum said it was “a big deal” to have the opportunity to perform at NJPAC.

“There are so many great legends who have been on this stage,” she said.