Published: February 04, 2019

Jazz Artist Ben Rosenblum Joins UT’s Bradford Blackburn for Feb. 11 Performance

The University of Tampa will welcome award-winning jazz pianist, composer and accordionist Ben Rosenblum for a concert on Monday, Feb. 11. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Sykes Chapel and Center for Faith and Values and will also feature the premiere of a new work by Bradford Blackburn, chair/associate professor of music. This event is free and open to the public.

Rosenblum was described by Downbeat Magazine as someone who “caresses the music with the reverence it merits.” He has been touring nationally and internationally while collaborating with artists around the world since the release of his debut album, Instead, in 2017.

Primarily based in New York City, Rosenblum graduated from the Columbia-Julliard program in 2016. While at Columbia University, he founded the Columbia Jazz House, a student-run jazz advocacy group that promotes jazz on campus, and was featured in a New York Times article.

In recent years, Rosenblum has continued to earn distinctions and awards to compliment his original works. He was a finalist at the American Jazz Competition in 2015 and participated in the Jazz Piano Competition in 2016. Rosenblum was also an honorable mention at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Young Jazz Composers Award Competition and was featured at the ASCAP Foundation’s “We Write the Songs” event in 2018.

Blackburn, who also serves as the director of music technology and composition at UT, will premiere an original work at the concert. He has composed more than 100 works for dance, acoustic concerts, jazz, popular music, music for film and interactive computer music.

Blackburn’s compositions have been presented in radio broadcasts, international peer-reviewed festivals and performances by solo artists. He has also won numerous awards, including an ASCAP Fellowship for Film Scoring and Composition at the Aspen Music Festival.

For more information, contact Blackburn at bblackburn@ut.edu.