I’m Kate Callahan. I've always had a light in me when it comes to songwriting and singing. It makes every experience with my audiences unique. I get to say that playing music is my job. But what most people don’t know is that my job helps people feel love no matter how their day has been. When my music and my heart are working together, I express myself in ways I couldn't have predicted, with words I haven't prepared. This is when I feel closest to my uninhibited nature. Then the chance exists for my heart to intimately transform an ordinary concert moment into something extraordinary for people to feel and pass on to those around them.  

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​Today, I’d have to say I am at my best giving concerts; this is one constant in my life. My career has given me the opportunity to serve something greater while being true to myself. As a folk singer, I can’t think of a better way to serve a greater purpose than by being Connecticut’s State Troubadour. Since my appointment in March 2016, I’ve performed music throughout all four corners of the state,

meeting venue owners, radio DJs, public access crews, and

other folk singers all making efforts to awaken communities

with music and messages of equality, solidarity and

justice.     

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​As former Connecticut State Troubadour, I

have been most humbled to work with women

inmates at York Correctional Institution last

spring. Thanks to a grant from the Hartford

Foundation for Public Giving, my Vocal Empowerment

pilot program served to remind women who’ve been

incarcerated that their voices can still have a positive impact

on their lives.  

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​Empowering the voice is personal to me. Twenty years ago, I suffered a brain injury in a ski accident and found that I couldn’t sing anymore. I didn’t understand that I could open my mouth and make melodies. Giving up on my voice, I decided to try and learn to play the guitar. I thought it would be impossible, but my teacher

Jamie Sherwood treated me like every one of

his other students. Over time not only did I

become skilled at the guitar but I also got

my singing voice back. It felt like a miracle.

All of these years later, I love to help

others develop a relationship with their

voices, like I did. My Vocal Empowerment

Coaching Business is called Affirming

Voice, LLC and serves those who wish to

speak or sing in a bigger capacity. 

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I also love to use my voice to tell stories

and weave anecdotes about the healing

power of music throughout my concerts.

I’ve learned from some of the best, having

shared stages with songwriter legends

Judy Collins, Noel Paul Stookey

(Peter, Paul & Mary), Aztec Two Step, John

Gorka, Claudia Schmidt, Mustard’s Retreat,

and the late Bill Morrissey.  

 

​I’ve come to understand over the years that my voice can help me and others experience the mystery of life. When something feels soulful to me, I say it or sing it or write it. WNPR host Colin McEnroe praised a performance of mine, saying, “Kate Callahan is the only  

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