Kate Westbrook (born 18 September 1939)[1] is an English painter and musician. Her musical work centres on her career as a vocalist, predominantly with the bands of her husband, British composer and bandleader Mike Westbrook. She also works extensively as librettist and doubles as instrumentalist (tenor horn and piccolo).
Biography
Kate Westbrook (née Bernard) was born in Guildford, Surrey, England,[1] and grew up in the U.S. and Canada, before going to Dartington Hall School (which later became Dartington College of Arts) in Devon, England. From there she went to Bath Academy of Art at Corsham and then to Reading University. Later she lived and worked on the East and West coasts of America. After travelling in Mexico she returned to England and took up a part-time teaching post at Leeds College of Art. Westbrook's musical career began in 1974, when she joined the Mike Westbrook Brass Band,[1] and gave up teaching to concentrate on the dual career of painter and musician. She has worked in theatre, radio, and television.
Westbrook studied fine art at Dartington Hall School (which later became Dartington College of Arts) in Devon, Bath Academy of Art at Corsham and Reading University.
The first one-man show of her paintings was held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California, in 1963. She continues to exhibit her work in solo and group shows in Britain and abroad. Her work is in public and private collections. Many musical Westbrook projects, such as Art Wolf and Turner In Uri, have been inspired by the visual arts.