New opera "Fractured Mosaics" premiering March 30-April 1st 

Some of you know I have been working on a new opera production this past year. I’m excited to announce that “Fractured Mosaics,” a virtual opera that asks what it means to be Asian American will be presented by @White Snake Projects March 30 - April 3 online! It’s been a thrill to work with librettist Cerise Jacobs, the wonderful singers and a terrific creative team. I will be one of five featured composers contributing to this unique opera cycle. Get tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fractured-mosaics-a-virtual-opera-tickets-508028495907 or visit https://www.whitesnakeprojects.org/projects/fractured-mosaics/ for more information. 
 

03/18/2023

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Ben Kono interview on The Musical Universe of Professor Hurst podcast 

Hello all! Here's a link to a recent interview with Craig Hurst on his wonderful podcast "The Musical Universe of Professor Hurst" where we discussed everything from compositional process to music education. He has a wide range of interviews and it's been enjoyable to see what others' have to say about the state of music across a breadth of disciplines and styles. Hope you enjoy!

01/03/2023

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'Voyages' premier video 

Hey all, since it doesn't look like we'll be getting out there any time soon, I thought I'd share some video from Ben Kono Group's most recent project: Voyages. This was a suite of compositions commissioned by Chamber Music America New Jazz Works and we premiered it at Jazz Forum in Tarrytown, and again at Greenwich House in NYC this past December. Inspired by the writings of my grandfather Juhei Kono it traces our family's transition from Japan to America and features my quintet augmented by some very special friends on strings. The first installment of these is called "Bata Kusai!!", a rather colorful phrase my grandfather used to describe his first taste of American food and culture when he was summoned over to work on a farm, and I wrote it to feature the amazing Sara Caswell on violin. Hope you enjoy! 

Ben Kono Group premiere of "Bata Kusai!!" from "Voyages" suite, commissioned by Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant at Renee Weiler Concert Hall, NYC Dec.18, 2019. 

Ben Kono, tenor saxophone and composition 
Pete McCann, guitar 
Mike Holober, piano 
Matt Clohesy, bass 
Jared Schonig, drums 
Sara Caswell, violin 
Meg Okura, violin 
Lois Martin, viola 
Jody Redhage Ferber, cello

"Don't Blink" featured in Chamber Music Magazine Fall 2020 issue 

Many thanks to Chamber Music Magazine for featuring my CMA grant project "Don't Blink" in their Fall 2020 issue, and to the musicians who have kept this project going over the years: Henry Hey, Pete McCann, Kermit Driscoll, Satoshi Takeishi, Mike Holober, Jared Schonig, and Matt Clohesy. Looking forward to a time when we can continue presenting this music live again!

01/08/2021

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Ben Kono Group featured in Chamber Music Magazine: "Reflecting a Planet in Peril" 

I'm proud to be featured in a story that appeared in the Fall 2016 issue of Chamber Music Magazine: "Reflecting a Planet in Peril". Writer Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone produced a well-written piece based on interviews with chamber groups who reflect an ethos of environmental activism in their work, and the Ben Kono Group's recent project "Don't Blink" was well-represented. Thank you Nicole and all the featured groups for doing justice to a great cause! You can read the article in its' entirety here:

Reflecting a Planet in Peril

02/18/2017

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