Kate McDonnell has been gracing the stage since the late 70s -- first in high-school and college as one-half of Katie and Anne (her twin!) McDonnell, in her home townÊof Baltimore, MD. She then stopped performing in 1985 to move to New Haven, CT and do "real jobs" for a while -- editing, AIDS work, etc. -- but was drawn back to her calling in 1989, forming the duo "McDonnell-Tane" which proved successful during the four years they were together; they were invited to open for some of the biggest names in the industry: Bob Dylan, Suzanne Vega, Kathy Mattea, Willie Nelson, Judy Collins, Leo Kottke, and Arlo Guthrie.

In 1993, Kate launched her successful solo career, including 1999 performances on WXPN's World Cafe and at the Kennedy Center, as well as a yearly European tour. And, fulfilling her lifetime dream, she was on the bill for the 2001 Newport Folk Festival. She has garnered the respect of her peers and folk fans all over the U.S. and Europe for her vocal abilities, adroit songwriting, and upside-down-and-backwards guitar style. A true entertainer, Kate has honed her comedic abilities from her years in a musicomedy trio "Colossal Olive," along with her pals Cara Burgarella and Alison Farrell.

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