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Ken Schaphorst
Awards
Schaphorst has been awarded Composition Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1988 and 1991, the Wisconsin Arts Board in 1997, Meet the Composer Grants in 1987 and 1997, and was a Music Composition Finalist in the Massachusetts Fellowship Program in 1986.
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Ken Schaphorst: Indigenous Technology
by Russell Moon
Ken Schaphorst is associated with big band albums, the best known and best distributed, I suspect, being Purple (Naxos, 1998).
With Indigenous Technology Schaphorst takes a new look on the jazz trio. Schaphorst plays trumpet, flugelhorn or piano on the record alongside cellist Matt Turner and marimba/percussion player Dane Richeson. There is no drummer here.
It would be fair to categorize this recording as New Age, but the featured improvisation is far better than that genre's usual light fare, perhaps ...
read moreKen Schaphorst: Purple
by Mark Corroto
As a jazz fan who’s listening preferences tend toward small group recordings, I find big band recordings, by definition tend to be, well...BIG. Most large ensembles, like ocean liners, have trouble maneuvering, their sounds tend to be crowded and loud. By the time Leonardo screams “iceberg” it’s too late, the record is sunk. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed Purple by captain and arranger Ken Schaphorst, his 19-piece band steers clear of the largeness. Schaphorst, the director of Jazz studies at ...
read moreKen Schaphorst Big Band: Purple
by Jack Bowers
Unlike some Jazz composers who write unpretentious big–band charts designed to serve as springboards for soloists, Ken Schaphorst approaches the task with soloists in mind but focuses always on orchestral textures and colors, employing improvisation as an integral element in the over–all compositional makeup. Instead of playing “outside” the chart with rhythm accompaniment, as is so often the case, Schaphorst’s soloists usually must adapt to its nuances, tailoring their approach to suit its particular needs without sacrificing warmth or creativity. ...
read moreKen Schaphorst Conducts New England Conservatory Jazz Orchestra on October 20
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
New England Conservatory’s internationally renowned Jazz Studies Department showcases its accomplished jazz vocal students in If You Could See Me Now: Music for Voice and Jazz Orchestra. Ken Schaphorst conducts the NEC Jazz Orchestra in music composed and arranged for voice and jazz orchestra, from traditional jazz to more contemporary styles. The 7:30 p.m. concert takes place on Thursday, October 20 at Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. Free and open to the public. Tickets required; please visit necmusic.edu to ...
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A Revolution In Music Education: Contemporary Musical Arts At New England Conservatory, Celebrating 50 Years Of Training The Complete Musician
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Since 1972, the Contemporary Musical Arts (formerly CI/Contemporary Improvisation) program at New England Conservatory has been at the forefront of creative musical expression. The department marks five decades of crossing boundaries, pushing limits, and training creative contemporary musicians and artists with a year- long celebration featuring faculty, students and alumni in a full season of cutting-edge musical events. During the 2022-2023 fiftieth anniversary season, the CMA program celebrates alumni with residencies featuring cross-genre improviser Satoko Fujii, singer- songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, ...
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New England Conservatory Celebrates 50th Anniversary Of Groundbreaking Jazz Department
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
In recognition and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Jazz Studies department and the Jazz Studies program, New England Conservatory is hosting Jazz50, a year- long series of concerts and events. On stage will be the distinguished jazz alumni, faculty, students and special guests offering an incredible array of musical and compositional talent. Performances are to be to held at NEC's acoustically superb Jordan Hall, providing an intimate and versatile setting. And several other performances are scheduled in New ...
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The New England Conservatory Youth Jazz Orchestra Conducted By Ken Schaphorst Presents Spring Concert On Tuesday, May 19 In NEC’s Jordan Hall
Source:
Ann Braithwaite
Orchestra Includes 17 Members from 12 Massachusetts Cities and Towns The New England Conservatory Youth Jazz Orchestra conducted by Ken Schaphorst, presents a program at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19 at NEC’s Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, jny: Boston. The free concert will feature music of Thad Jones, Ken Schaphorst, Kenny Dorham, Horace Silver and Dizzy Gillespie. The NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra is comprised of middle and high school students from across the region. For more information, log on ...
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New England Conservatory Prep Presents The NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra Conducted By Ken Schaphorst
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Tuesday, May 20 in NEC’s Jordan Hall New England Conservatory Prep presents the NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra conducted by Ken Schaphorst in a concert featuring a wide selection of music by composers Randy Weston, Ken Schaphorst, Donny McCaslin, Thad Jones, Dizzy Gillespie and more, all performed by middle and high school students in the NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra. The free concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20 at NEC’s Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. For more ...
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New England Conservatory Jazz Studies Department Presents Jazz And The Struggle For Freedom & Equality
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Performed by the NEC Jazz Orchestra on Thursday, February 27 at Jordan Hall WGBH Jazz Host Eric Jackson to Narrate Mingus’ “Freedom” Ken Schaphorst, New England Conservatory's chair of jazz studies, leads the NEC Jazz Orchestra in Jazz and the Struggle for Freedom & Equality featuring some of the landmark compositions associated with the battle against racism and bigotry. Selections include Charles Mingus’ “Haitian Fight Song,” “Fables of Faubus,” “Freedom” and “Meditations on Integration;” Carla Bley’s “Dreamkeeper;” and excerpts from ...
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New England Conservatory Jazz Studies Department Presents The Music Of Ken Schaphorst Performed By The NEC Jazz Orchestra With Special Guests Nedelka Prescod And Donny McCaslin -- Thursday, December 12 In NEC’s Jordan Hall
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Schaphorst's writing and arranging, like that of Duke Ellington, is for individual musicians." —Mark Corroto, All About Jazz Ken Schaphorst, New England Conservatory's chair of jazz studies, leads the NEC Jazz Orchestra in The Music of Ken Schaphorst, a program of his original music and arrangements. The free concert takes place at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 12 at NEC’s Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. For more information, log on to necmusic.edu or call 617-585-1260. The program will include ...
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New England Conservatory Prep Presents The NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra Conducted By Ken Schaphorst
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Wednesday, December 11 in NEC’s Brown Hall New England Conservatory Prep presents the NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra conducted by Ken Schaphorst in a concert featuring the music of Duke Ellington, Gerald Wilson, Sun Ra, Imogen Heap, John Klenner, Joe Henderson,
Harold Arlen, and Thad Jones all performed by middle and high school students in the NEC Youth Jazz Orchestra. The free concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11 at NEC’s Brown Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. For more ...
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New England Conservatory's Jazz Studies Department Presents The Music Of Vaughn Moore + Billy Eckstine On Thursday, October 17 Featuring Ken Schaphorst And The NEC Jazz Orchestra
Source:
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Ken Schaphorst and the NEC Jazz Orchestra draw on New England Conservatory's exclusive archive of Vaughn Monroe charts, alongside hits by Billy Eckstine — two of the most popular singing stars of the 1940s — in the Music of Vaughn Monroe + Billy Eckstine, a free concert on Thursday, October 17 at NEC’s Jordan Hall, 290 Huntington Avenue, Boston. The concert begins at 8 p.m. For more information, log on to necmusic.edu or call 617-585-1260. Vaughn Monroe came to New ...
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Photos
Music
Fusion of Minds
From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume...By Ken Schaphorst
I Wanna Fly
From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume...By Ken Schaphorst
Frankenfanny
From: Best of Tobin Mueller, Volume...By Ken Schaphorst
How to Say Goodbye
From: How to Say GoodbyeBy Ken Schaphorst