Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
In Memoriam: Ken Peplowski, 1959–2026
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is holding its inaugural DSO Jazz Symposium, which will welcome a panel of jazz educators and musicians led by Branford Marsalis on April 11 to The Music Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center.
The DSO Jazz Symposium—which is free and open to the public—will discuss critical issues relating to the present status and future growth of jazz.
“We feel it is important to take an in-depth look at the state of jazz in our culture with some of the finest experts in the field,” said Anne Parsons, DSO president and executive director. “Our hope is that this symposium will help clarify the challenges and opportunities in jazz today, which will help the DSO, music educators, [members of] the media and the public take the steps necessary to insure that jazz continues to flourish in Detroit.”
In addition to Marsalis, the panel will include Geri Allen, Dr. John Edward Hasse, A.B. Spellman Jr., Al Pryor and Rodney Whitaker. Mark Stryker, classical and jazz critic for The Detroit Free Press, will moderate the panel.
To make reservations, call (313) 576-5599 or e-mail wwilliams@dso.org.
Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s.
Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM
Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2…
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