Kate trained as a young artist in the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist program, as Gerdine Artist with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and as a Resident Artist with Utah Opera. Additionally, she was a Stern Fellow with the LA-based Songfest, and performed in the Opera Studio at AIMS in Graz, Austria. She holds a Masters degree in Voice from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and dual undergraduate degrees in English Literature and Vocal Performance from Illinois Wesleyan University. 

Kate’s recent portrayals have included singing “The Dough” in Fort Worth Opera’s world premiere of composer/librettist Rachel J. Peters’ Companionship, two of Rossini’s leading ladies with Winter Opera St. Louis in L’italiana in Algeri (Isabella) and La Cenerentola (Angelina), “Hansel” in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel (Stockton Opera), and “Fanny Price” in the American premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park (Indianapolis Opera).

Her career in opera was initiated when she placed third in the Chicago Regional MONC Auditions, hosted by NYC’s Metropolitan Opera.  Since then, other career highlights have included performing as a soloist at Carnegie Hall upon winning the Barry Alexander International Vocal Competition, winning the Harold Haugh Light Opera Vocal  Competition, placing second in the Nicholas Z. Loren Vocal Competition,  hosted by the Holland Chorale, and being awarded the “Grace Keagy Award”  by NYC-based Kurt Weill Foundation in their annual Lotte Lenya  Foundation.

Tombaugh’s other portrayals include title roles in Handel’s Ariodante and Massenet’s Cinderella, ‘Annie Oakley’ in Irving Berlin’s Annie, Get your Gun, and ‘Mad Margaret’ in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore,  among others. She has been a regular soloist with the New Philharmonic, Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, Bach Collegium of Fort Wayne, and BEST Ensemble of Cincinnati, with additional appearances in the ensemble at Chicago Opera Theater and as soloist with the Utah Symphony, Jackson Symphony, Seattle Orchestra, Apollo Chorus, concert:nova, Lexington Philharmonic, and Performance Santa Fe.