Kara Baldus – Jazz Pianist

Highlights include being selected for the IAJE/BET Sisters in Jazz All-Stars, playing at jazz festivals in Italy, France, Holland, Canada, as well as the Kennedy Center, and also getting to perform in front of jazz piano legend, Oscar Peterson. She is a full-time instructor of jazz piano at Washington University in St. Louis. You may have seen her performing with such acts as Erin Bode, Peter Mayer, Tom Kennedy, or Nicole Johanntgen. In 2013, her pop group, Dropkick the Robot, won the electronic Grand Prize for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with their song, “Missed Out.” Kara also leads one of the Midwest’s top party-bands, The LustreLights

In 2013, her pop group, Dropkick the Robot, won the electronic Grand Prize for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with their song, “Missed Out.” In 2017 she launched a new event band, The LustreLights, where she is the bandleader, keyboardist, and vocalist.

Her albums, including, ‘Digital Hearts (featuring her vocals), ‘Face to Face’ (solo piano), ‘The Kara Baldus Mehrmann Quartet’ (jazz piano), ‘cascade’ (solo piano) showcase the depth of her versatility. Her work can be found on instrumental singles like ‘Electric Splash’ and ‘Rebirth,’ and a cover of Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.”

Additionally, Kara is “world famous” for her legendary social media channel, @KaraPiano, where she performs song requests with her dog, Bradford, to global acclaim.