Kari van der Kloot is a Canadian jazz vocalist, arranger, composer and pianist. Having completed her master's degree in vocal jazz performance at Queens College in New York, Kari also holds a Bachelor of Music from University of Toronto. Before Kari's return to North America after several years overseas; she was a highly regarded professor of jazz voice at Paekche Institute of the Arts in Seoul, South Korea. Kari has performed in venues all over Canada, Korea and the US; including the Banff Rocky Mountain Festival, the Rex Jazz and Blues Club (Toronto's premier jazz club); and Palm, Chicago, Mo Better Blues and the Gangjin International Festival in South Korea.  In New York, Kari has given acclaimed performances at Cornelia Street Cafe, Tomi, Sycamore, Somethin' Jazz Club, Little Zelda and Trumpets. Throughout her career, Kari has had the opportunity to share the stage with many talented musicians, such as Seamus Blake, Kenji Omae, Jamie Reynolds, Ted Quinlan, Mike Downes, Mike Murley, Ernesto Cervini, Chris Varga, Jae Chung, Martin Zenker, Hironori Momoi, Lauren Falls and John Nam. She has studied with Kate McGarry, JD Walter, Charenee Wade, Roseanna Vitro, Heather Bambrick, Mike Mossman, Terry Promane and Mike Murley. In addition to being a well regarded vocalist, Kari is also an accomplished arranger and composer. Her "chamber jazz" compositions based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda have been received with unanimous praise. Kari's jazz choir and jazz orchestra arrangements have been performed by the Queens College Jazz Orchestra, the University of Toronto Jazz Orchestra, the University of Toronto Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the Humber College Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the Paekche Institute of the Arts Vocal Ensemble and the O'Neill CVI Jazz Disciples. Two of her arrangements can be found on the University of Toronto Vocal Jazz Ensemble's recording "Songs of Life". With Kari's debut album "Seedling", Kari's intimate approach is on full display. Her compositions and arrangements are thoughtful, understated and creative, and serve to highlight Kari's lyrical approach. She is a skilled improviser, gently crafting lines that float through the music, interacting flawlessly with her understated musicians.