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The Great Kat - Biography


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1990-

1987
Logo on album "Worship Me Or Die!"

Biography

The Great Kat was born Katherine Thomas in Swindon, England (on a U.S. Air Force Base Military Hospital) and moved to the U.S at the age of 3. After listening to Beethoven since birth, The Great Kat realized that her mission was to become a composer and musical revolutionary. She began classical piano studies at 7. At the age of 9, she began classical violin studies in New York.

At the age of 15, The Great Kat was accepted to the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City as a scholarship student on violin. The Great Kat graduated from The Juilliard School and began performing, first as a classical violin soloist at Carnegie Recital Hall as winner of the exclusive Artists International Competition and then extensively in Mexico, the U.S. and Europe.

After touring the world, The Great Kat realized that classical music was dead, so she began updating classical music with speed metal and transcribed intricate violin solos to the guitar. She developed a new genre of music: Shred/Classical music - fast, furious and virtuosic.

The Great Kat is the only musician taking note-for-note authentic classical music scores (from Vivaldi, Beethoven, Bach, Wagner, Liszt, Paganini and Rossini) and entering the original classical music scores into music-notation software. The Great Kat then edits, arranges, and orchestrates the entire scores with shred guitar virtuosity and mixing it with speed metal band and classical orchestra.

The Great Kat's music is known worldwide for its phenomenal speeds, complicated classical motives, counterpoint layering, guitar riffs, maniacal screams, heavy rhythms and thrashing sounds. Known as the "High Priestess Of Guitar Shred," The Great Kat was recently awarded the "Top 10 Fastest Shredders Of All Time," by Guitar One Magazine.