Jan
14
1:00am
Kavy plays Jamal
By Walker|West Music Academy
RONDO COMMUNITY MUSIC SERIES OVERVIEW
In 1956, more than 600 African-American families, including businesses and institutions living in the Rondo neighborhood of Saint Paul, lost their homes to the construction of the new I-94 highway cutting across the United States. Rondo's disaggregation was part of a national movement that upended thousands of black, immigrant, and poor communities to make room for more seamless coast-to-coast automobile transportation. Home to such artists as Gordon Parks, August Wilson, Roberta Davies, and Bobby Lyles, the Rondo neighborhood produced and inspired artists and musicians who would go on to national fame. The Rondo Community Music Series, presented by Walker West Music Academy, showcases a current generation of artists who continue to be inspired by Rondo's history, cultural expression, and resilience. The Rondo Community Music Series presents a variety of musicians and artists from September through April 2024. Join us for all of the hour-long concerts and be inspired by the power of music to convey and shape communities. All shows are FREE, but you must register!
Kavyesh Kaviraj is a pianist, composer and arranger from India. Although primarily a jazz pianist, he is known for his versatility as a musician; thanks to his experience in different musical climates he is closely involved with settings of many different genres and styles.
Kavyesh was introduced to music at a very young age; born into a musical family, he started playing the piano at the age of 2, and has since been garnering experience towards an expansive international career. Thanks to his family’s rich musical ancestry, Kavyesh has been fortunate to be educated in both Western classical and contemporary music, but also in Indian Classical music, including both Carnatic and Hindustani styles. He often attributes this wide span of musical taste and experience to his education and cultural involvement within his childhood. Born to Indian parents in Oman, he began his fledgling musical career in the small town of Sohar, from where he moved to India to further his musical development and education, and subsequently pursued a professional music education in the United States. He has garnered attention and acclaim from the various musical environments he has been a part of, including Indian, Middle-Eastern and American shores.
Kavyesh graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2018, with a Bachelor of Music (B.M) degree in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Music. In 2019, Kavyesh received a full tuition grant to pursue a Masters’ degree at Berklee College’s Global Jazz Institute, where he was under the eminent tutelage of several jazz masters including Danilo Perez, Kenny Werner, JoAnne Brackeen among many others. He graduated in 2020 with a Master of Music (M.M) degree in Contemporary Performance.
Kavyesh is a member of the jazz quintet Mississippi, set to release their second album in 2022. He has performed with national and international artists from many different genres, including Wynton Marsalis, David Sanchez, Roosevelt Collier, Jay Young and the Lyric Factory, Justin Robinson, Yolande Bruce, Debbie Duncan, Bruce Henry, Nooky Jones, Kevin Washington Quintet, Jamecia Bennett, I Self Devine, Lady Midnight, Desdamona, Toki Wright and several others.
Kavyesh is also a passionate music educator, with experience as a private instructor and experience as an educator in music academies and public schools alike. Kavyesh is currently on faculty at the piano department at The University of St Thomas, and is also at the music department at Minneapolis College. Kavyesh is also an instructor for various musical arts at Walker West Music Academy. Kavyesh enjoys leading jazz workshops and teaching music classes for children and youth, and his work takes him across the US. His compositions and arrangements for various ensembles and configurations have been featured on radio, TV and collaborative exhibitions.
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