Tuesday, October 7, 2014

BW Jazzed to Recognize Accomplished Conservatory Grad

Kevin Johnson ’12 will be the first guest artist and honoree at a newly developed annual concert event featuring a BW Conservatory of Music jazz emphasis alum. The inaugural event includes a solo performance at Cleveland’s Brothers Lounge on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Johnson holds a Bachelor of Music in trumpet performance from BW and is currently a second-year graduate student at Indiana University pursuing a degree in jazz studies.

During his time here at BW, Johnson helped to found our celebrated “BW Beatles,” serving as the Music Director of their Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band concerts.

Since graduating, Johnson has been writing for the world's largest print music publisher, Hal Leonard Corporation, recently publishing The Beatles Session Parts, a collection of 20 songs, in score format, with the parts for string, woodwind, and brass session players, and Trumpet Aerobics, a 52-week one-exercise-a-day workout program for developing, improving, and maintaining trumpet technique.

Recent performance highlights include appearances with the Columbus Symphony, the Blossom Festival Band, and the Brent Wallarab Jazz Ensemble in New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center, accompanying Grammy award winning vocal jazz ensemble, The New York Voices.

Johnson’s composition, The Seventh Trumpet, was released on BW professor, Jack Sutte’s CD, Fanfare Alone. Johnson credits his studies with Sutte, Greg Banaszak and "the world-class education and opportunities he received at BW" for launching his successful career.