SHREVEPORT – Hearing pictures and seeing sounds.
It’s a condition called synesthesia, which causes one’s brain to route sensory information through unrelated senses. That person experiences more than one sense simultaneously.
Synesthesia is the one of the foundations to renowned jazz musician and visual artist Kathy Kosins’ artistry via multiple platforms.
The singer and painter will come to Shreveport in a residency at LSUS from Feb. 5-8.
The Freedom of Expression in the Abstract residency will feature two concerts, three free creative clinics, and a free art exhibit.
Robert Alford II, associate professor of theatre and lover of jazz music, developed the Kosins residency to inject more jazz into the Shreveport community.
“We don’t have enough jazz artists come to Shreveport in my opinion, and this was a chance to bring a great jazz musician and painter to the city,” said Alford, who developed a friendship with Kosins via social media over the past decade. “Kathy Kosins performs jazz covers and standards as well as her own originals.
“She brings an incredibly soulful voice to jazz, which not many artists do. Her music has traditional jazz structure, but her voice and other musical elements bring a contemporary music feel to the jazz.”
During a jazz concert, Kosins will sometimes paint on stage while her band plays in the background.
She puts her synesthesia to work, creating abstract paintings inspired by the music she hears (and sees).
Kosins will put this on display in two concerts at the LSUS University Theatre on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8. Students of any age get free admission with others paying $5 for tickets. Each concert will include question-and-answer sessions with the audience.
Alford adds that Kosins is an expert at career development in addition to music and painting. The free clinics will focus on music, painting, the fusion of the two, creativity, improvisation, and career development.
The clinics will take place Feb. 6 and Feb. 8 in LSUS’s Bronson Hall.
At 2 p.m. on Feb. 6, Kosins will demonstrate improvisation on canvas in which students will paint to jazz music, using textures and colors as a guide.
Later on Feb. 6 at 6 p.m., Kosins will discuss entrepreneurship in the arts, the practical reality of turning musical and artistic talents into a career.
On Feb. 8 at noon, Kosins will explore the art of the duo, a vocal duet focusing on the interpretation of jazz standards and the challenges and rewards of collaboration and exploration.
All events are open to the community at large, not just LSUS students. Space is limited to 20 people per session. Email Alford at Robert.Alford@lsus.edu to register and for more information.
“People who are interested in painting can be inspired by her as a musician and vice versa,” Alford said. “Even people who aren’t artists can appreciate the diversity of Kathy’s work.
“People can learn what it takes to be a successful artist.”
Kosins’ career spans five decades with international tours to every region of the world.
The Detroit native taps into her home city’s Motown roots among a host of other musical influences, including jazz, soul, and R&B.
Her numerous awards include the 2023 Jazz Vocal Single of the Year for “From A 2 B” and was the highest charting vocalist on the Smooth Jazz Network in 2020.
The residency is funded by grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the City of Shreveport (through the Shreveport Regional Arts Council) with additional funding from the LSUS College of Arts and Sciences.
