Program for opera 'Fractured Mosaics' premiering virtually March 30, April 1 and April 3, 2023.
New opera "Fractured Mosaics" premiering March 30-April 1st
Ben Kono interview on The Musical Universe of Professor Hurst podcast
'Voyages' on Facebook Live!
'Voyages' is "in the can!"
International Society of Arrangers and Composers Artist Blog feature
'Voyages' premier video
"Don't Blink" featured in Chamber Music Magazine Fall 2020 issue
Summer Newsletter, Music Mountain
Previous events
Ben Kono Group@Pro Musica Joplin, MO
Corley Auditorium, Missouri Southern State University, 3950 Newman Rd, Joplin, MO 64801
The Group features long-time musical collaborators Henry Hey on piano and Fender Rhodes, Pete McCann on guitars, Ross Pederson on drums, Matt Clohesy on bass, and . In 2013 Kono was awarded the Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Commissioning and Ensemble Development Grant funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to write and premier a suite for the Group entitled DON’T BLINK.
The appearance of the Ben Kono Group in Joplin is sponsored, in part, by Annette Thurston and Charles Keeter.
While in Joplin the Ben Kono Group will present a clinic for jazz students at MSSU and area high schools at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, 4/29/17. The public is invited to attend the clinic.
Tickets: $10 adults, $5 students. Tickets can be purchased online (click on the Tickets section of this website) or from the Pro Musica office, 9:00-1:00 (call first 625-1822).
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/1681
Project Hansori, meaning one sound in Korean, encapsulates Jeff Fairbanks large scale work fusing Jazz and the music of various cultures, drawing heavily from certain East Asian traditions. This group reflects his vision for combining different cultural elements into a contemporary, orchestral Jazz setting. Its debut album Mulberry Street won major grants from the American Music Center and the Aaron Copland Fund. This event is made possible in part by the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Jazz Composer's Showcase vol. 7 curated by Miho Hazama
The Jazz Gallery, 1160 Broadway, 5th Fl , New York, NY 10001
Composers: Joel Harrison, Michael Thomas and Christopher Zuar Ben Kono, Michael Thomas, Jeremy Powell, John Lowery, Andrew Gutauskas – saxophones Sam Hoyt, Jonathan Powell, Matt Holman, Dave Smith – trumpets Matthew McDonald, Nick Finzer, Nick Grinder, Max Seigel – trombones Joel Harrison – guitar Martha Kato – piano Even Gregor – bass Jared Schonig – drums sets at 7.30pm + 9.30pm each set: $15/$10 members
Scott Reeves/Jay Branford (w/John Bailey/Andy Gravish - Trumpets, Ben Kono/Lance Bryant - Saxes, Mark Patterson - bpne, Roberta Piket - Piano, Rusty Holloway - Bass, Scott Neumann - Drums
http://www.jazzstandard.com/?event=20161108
In researching and writing his eight-part "Presidential Suite," saxophonist Ted Nash found that "great political speeches combine three elements: a prominent orator, a significant statement and considerable eloquence...A sub-theme, a thread common to all of these, is the idea of freedom. For most movements I have used the intonation - the ups and downs and cadences of the voice - to form the thematic material." Nash found inspiration in orations by U.S. President John F. Kennedy ("Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You"), Myanmar activist Aung San Suu Kyi ("Freedom From Fear"), and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ("We Shall Fight On The Beaches"), among others, and he "allowed the spirit of their messages to shape the intensity of the arrangements." This Jazz Standard engagement celebrates the CD release of Ted Nash Big Band Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom, with a recording cast that includes the voices of Glenn Close, Deepak Chopra, and Sam Waterston. On election night, the audience will be presented live election updates by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Fred Kaplan and Peabody Award-Winning journalist Brooke Gladstone.
Ted Nash – tenor sax Sherman Irby – alto sax Charles Pillow – alto sax Ben Kono – tenor sax Dan Block – tenor sax Paul Nedzela – baritone sax
Kenny Rampton – trumpet Marcus Printup – trumpet Greg Gisbert – trumpet Alphonso Horn – trumpet
Vincent Gardner – trombone Elliot Mason – trombone Chris Crenshaw – trombone
Dan Nimmer – piano Carlos Henriquez – bass Ali Jackson – drums
Fred Kaplan – live election coverage (11/8 only) Brooke Gladstone – live election coverage (11/8 only)
Plus Special Guests
8 pm The J-Orchestra Meg Okura (violin) Miho Hazama (composition & conducting) Asuka Kakitani (composition & conducting) Migiwa Miyajima (composition & conducting) The J-Orchestra performs compositions by Japanese Composers !
10 pm The J-Orchestra Meg Okura (violin, composition & conducting) Idan Santhous (composition & conducting) The J-Orchestra performs compositions by Jewish Composers!