Cellist Kourtney Newton is a versatile musician and ardent proponent of contemporary and experimental classical music. She recently earned a DMA from the University of North Texas, with a related field in contemporary music performance. Newton has been a featured performer at contemporary and experimental music festivals such as New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, SEAMUS, ICMC, Electric LaTex, New Music on the Point, New Music on the Bayou and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth Sounds Modern Recital Series. She has also performed in masterclasses for JACK quartet, Eighth Blackbird, Dal Niente, ICE, Spektral Quartet and cellist Madeleine Shapiro. 

Newton is a passionate improviser and was a founding member of the Colorado soundpainting improvisation ensemble By The Numbers as well as a guest artist in the Aquila Contemporary Music Recital Series. She is also an active member of feminist improvisation ensemble Bitches Set Traps, which combines multi-instrument musical improvisation with theatrical and comedic elements to challenge gender stereotypes and comment on current events. Notable performances include the New Music Gathering, Soundbox4 Festival, Austin’s Me Mer Mo Recital Series, New Media Art and Sound Summit and a digital feature in the academic journal Critical Studies in Improvisation. 

In addition to her experimental music background, Newton has had the opportunity to perform with many orchestras and ensembles both domestically and internationally, including notable venues in Graz, Salzburg, Vienna, London, as well as a residency with the KAZM string quartet at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand.