The Great Kat is a U.K. born, U.S. based neoclassical metal shredder! In her extensive career, Kat has attended Juilliard, been named one of the fastest shredders of all time and established quite the character when it comes to her public persona. Without further ado, here is our interview with the self-proclaimed “reincarnation of Beethoven” herself, The Great Kat!
How would you describe The Great Kat?
The Great Kat (http://www.greatkat.com) is: – The ONLY Guitar/Violin Double Virtuoso since Paganini – Reincarnation of Beethoven – Juilliard Honors Graduate as a Violin Virtuoso – Concertmaster of the Juilliard Pre – College Orchestra – Winner of the Artists International Competition on Violin – Carnegie Recital Hall Debut Soloist on Violin – Prodigy Violin Soloist for New York City Mayor Koch and Mexico Governor Flores Tapia – “TOP 10 FASTEST SHREDDERS OF ALL TIME” – Guitar One Magazine – NeoClassical Guitar/Violin Shredder!
Insightful. How did your experience as a double virtuoso at Juilliard influence you?
I won a FULL Scholarship as a violin student at the Juilliard School, where I performed as a soloist in violin recitals, was the Concertmaster of the Juilliard Pre-College Orchestra, studied Violin, Solfege, Music History, Chamber Music, Composition, Music Theory, Piano, and much more. It was an intense, competitive, vicious and brutal training where you practiced, performed and competed 24 hours a day for years. I graduate from Juilliard with Honors on violin and performed as a violin soloist on tour with Orchestra (performing Beethoven, Bruch, and more) and with Piano accompaniment on numerous tours, TV shows, Radio shows and more in the U.S., Mexico and Europe. I was Awarded “Certificate of Merit” from New York Governor Mario Cuomo and was a prodigy violin soloist for NYC Mayor Ed Koch at Gracie Mansion and Governor Oscar Flores Tapia at the Teatro de la Ciudad Fernando Soler in Saltillo, Coahuila Mexico. The famous comedian, Steve Allen especially composed the Violin piece “Sonatina” for me, which I performed in England as a violin soloist in recital.
After realizing that Classical music was DEAD and DESTROYED by non-virtuoso composers, I decided to UPDATE Classical music by bringing it into the future with modern popular music. I searched all styles of pop music and found rock and heavy metal music. I met Timothy Leary, famous Harvard psychology professor and mind-altering guru and we collaborated on the rock song “Right Brain Lover”. Timothy Leary wrote the wild psychedelic lyrics and I composed the music and played electric violin. Timothy Leary and I recorded “Right Brain Lover” starring my electric violin virtuosity and rock singing and Leary rapping the lyrics with his inimitable voice. “Timothy Leary Papers” at The New York Public Library Archives & Manuscripts Features Timothy Leary & Kat Thomas’ (The Great Kat) “RIGHT BRAIN LOVER” Song at http://archives.nypl.org/mss/18400#c759755.
After the Leary collaboration, I discovered Metal Guitar and began shredding my Classical Violin Solos on the guitar and THE GREAT KAT WAS BORN – the world’s ONLY GUITAR/VIOLIN DOUBLE VIRTUOSO! The Great Kat is UPDATING CLASSICAL MUSIC with METAL to MAKE YOU A GENIUS: BEETHOVEN, MOZART, BACH, PAGANINI, ROSSINI, SARASATE, WAGNER, CHOPIN, RAVEL, TCHAIKOVSKY, SCHUBERT, and MUCH MORE!!! CHECK them all out on THE GREAT KAT SPOTIFY at https://open.spotify.com/artist/4YDaaWoQRwk2CPzsX8pXzt and iTUNES http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-great-kat/id368743108
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Amazing. If there is one thing you want the world to know about you that people don’t know, what would that be?
The Great Kat is an UNRELENTING, UNSTOPPABLE MUSICAL MANIAC whose MISSION is to UPDATE CLASSICAL MUSIC to MAKE EVERYONE into a GENIUS with BEETHOVEN!!!!!!!!!!! NOW GET to WORK and start SPREADING the word and GENIUSIZING with THE GREAT KAT & BEETHOVEN! WATCH THE GREAT KAT’S POWERFUL BEETHOVEN’S “5th SYMPHONY” Music Video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX22Q2rTqIw
Have you experienced sexism in the music industry and what advice would you give to people who face that?
YES! 24/7! From EVERYONE! BUT, The Great Kat CONQUERS that “sexism” with my JUILLIARD CLASSICAL VIOLIN TRAINING – a DISCIPLINED training that taught me to always COMPETE and WIN!!!!!!!!!! The Great Kat’s advice to people who face sexism is: BE A VIRTUOSO and COMPETE!!!!!
Of course! What has the Great Kat got in store for the near future, any new music coming?
THERE IS TONS of NEW GREAT KAT SHREDCLASSICAL MUSIC, MUSIC VIDEOS, CDS, DVDS being released EVERY DAY!! LISTEN to The Great Kat’s NEW RAVEL’S “BOLERO” Single out NOW on Spotify & iTunes. The Great Kat’s NEW RAVEL’S “BOLERO” Music Video will be out on VEVO this week on THEGREATKATVEVO Official YouTube Channel at The Great Kat JUST Recorded this masterpiece and released it JUST in time to CELEBRATE VALENTINE’S DAY with RAVEL’S “BOLERO”—BY THE GREAT KAT!!!! NOW WAKE UP and become an OFFICIAL THRASHDISCIPLE at http://www.greatkat.com/fan/greatkatdisciple.html
GO to THE GREAT KAT STORE & GET YOUR SIGNED KAT CDs, DVDs and more MERCH! THE GREAT KAT RULES! SHRED ON!
Shannon Wilk is a Connecticut-based music industry creative; bassist and photographer. She has brought her bass guitar skills to stages all over the country in various bands, most recently The Heartless and Alice Loves Alien. Dubbed the “female Rudy Sarzo”, Shannon has a unique and captivating stage presence in addition to her distinctive playing style. Since beginning her professional career in 2019, she has made waves in both the live music scene and the digital world, playing legendary stages such as the Whisky A Go-Go and the Monsters of Rock Cruise, as well as accumulating nearly 1 million views across online platforms.At 17 years old, Shannon Wilk has become a force to be reckoned with in the rock n’ roll scene. In addition to her blossoming music career, she has continued to showcase her passion for live music through concert photography. From KISS to Foo Fighters to Evanescence to Yungblud and more, Shannon has captured rock royalty through her lens. In 2018, she launched her own publication, Rockin’ Interviews, where she has connected with beloved ‘80s heavy metal artists through her independently produced podcast.
