Artful Discourse: Benjamin Boone talks about his new album ‘Confluence – The Ireland Sessions’

September 23, 2024.Reading time 2 minutes.

For the first show of the Fall 2024 semester, Professor of Composition Dr. Benjamin Boone joined us while in Ireland – after spending a year as a United States Fulbright Scholar in Limerick.

Faylita Hicks and Benjamin Boone perform in ‘The Black Arts Lounge’ in celebration of Black History Month

February 16, 2024.Reading time 14 minutes.

Falita Hicks at a microphone and Benjamin Boone on a saxophone.

This vibrant gathering will take place from 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery, located on the second floor of the Fresno State Library.

Fulbright scholar Boone brings new insights into pedagogy from Ireland

November 16, 2023.Reading time 18 minutes.

Benjamin Boone holds his saxophone in front of a dark grey-blue background wearing a dark blue sport jacket and black Tshirt with bright blue eyeglasses.

Boone spent the 2022-23 school year as a Fulbright scholar exploring pedagogy and learning and collaborating in the diverse musical program at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at the University of Limerick.

Benjamin Boone’s new album ‘Caught in the Rhythm’ adds to poetry and jazz experiment

September 15, 2023.Reading time 8 minutes.

“Caught in the Rhythm” is the fourth in a series of Boone’s explorations of improvised music and spoken language, long an area of both scholarly and artistic interest for the saxophonist.

Fulbright awarded to Prof. Benjamin Boone to explore pedagogy in Ireland

June 8, 2022.Reading time 7 minutes.

PHOTO: Benjamin Boone CREDIT: Tamela Ryatt

Fresno State professor of music theory and composition, Dr. Benjamin Boone, was named a U.S. Fulbright Scholar for the 2022-23 academic year.

Stonewall inspired concert features composer Benjamin Boone and poet Faylita Hicks

October 8, 2021.Reading time 7 minutes.

Black and white headshots of Benjamin Boone and Faylita Hicks with their names spelled out in text on a dark blue textured background.

Presented by the Center for Creativity and the Arts, “Benjamin Boone and Faylita Hicks: Nobody Promised You Tomorrow Concert and Poetry Reading” begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in the Phebe Conley Art Gallery courtyard. The outdoor concert and indoor art exhibit are free and open to the public.

‘Jazz Station’ names faculty musician Boone as number three alto sax performer in 2020

March 8, 2021.Reading time 4 minutes.

Fresno State music theory and composition professor Benjamin Boone plays his alto saxophone in the studio while recording his album "The Poets are Gathering."

Jazz Station, a Portuguese language blog based in Los Angeles, named Boone the number three alto saxophone artist and number 10 soprano saxophone artist of 2020 for his album “Joy.”

Poets, musicians gather with Benjamin Boone and Juan Felipe Herrera in new album

October 19, 2020.Reading time 9 minutes.

Boone’s third album combining jazz and poetry, “The Poets Are Gathering,” was released by Origin Records on Oct. 16.

Masterclasses with film composer Robert Allaire model some advantages of virtual instruction

June 2, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

When the in-person classes became impossible, Boone and Allaire moved to Zoom’s virtual environment. To the surprise of everyone involved, that move made the experience better.

Provost celebrates National Poetry Month with Levine and Boone’s ‘Our Valley’

April 27, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

"Our Valley" Poetry by Philip Levine, Music by Benjamin Boone from "The Poetry of Jazz, vol. 1"

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Fresno State Provost Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval offers a message of how poetry contributes to a greater sense of community and presents “Our Valley” a fusion of poetry and music by Philip Levine, an emeritus professor of English at Fresno State and former poet laureate of the United States, and Benjamin Boone, a Fresno State Music professor.

Making Joy

April 6, 2020.Reading time 22 minutes.

Benjamin Boone, Frank Kissi, Bernard Ayisa, UVSL Studio, Accra

It was hot! It was the summer of 2018 in the city of Accra, about 400 miles north of the equator, and Benjamin Boone and the Ghana Jazz Collective had gathered in the UVSL recording studio — a white concrete building down one of the many dirt side roads. Even with the high-tech equipment, to get clean recordings, the studio had to turn off the air conditioning during recording sessions.

Samuel A. Montgomery, Department of Music Student of Distinction

March 27, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

“Expression through music has always been important to me. Expression through art is just part of who I am.”

‘The Poetry of Jazz, Vol. 2’ release concert celebrates the lives of Philip Levine and Brian Hamada

February 4, 2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

A concert to celebrate both the CD Release and the life of Levine will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb 1 at Cal Art’s Severance Theatre located at 1401 N Wishon Ave, Fresno. Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door.

‘The Poetry of Jazz’ by Philip Levine and Benjamin Boone ranked #3 Jazz Album of the Year by Downbeat Magazine

November 2, 2018.Reading time 13 minutes.

Philip Levine, Benjamin Boone and the band in the studio

What started as a jazz project between two Fresno State colleagues has earned the respect of Downbeat Magazine readers who rank “The Poetry of Jazz” the number three Jazz Album of the Year in the 2018 Readers Poll. The poll results appeared in the December 2018 issue and praised the performance of Pulitzer-winning poet laureate […]

Encountering the Other

July 7, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

Music student Chris Carreon and Professor Benjamin Boone

Music and journalism project focuses on understanding other cultures ~ By Kathleen R. Schock, excerpted from the June issue of the Fresno State Magazine, Photos by Cary Edmondson View Photo Gallery Growing up in Stockton, Chris Carreon watched a lot of movies. Big blockbusters like Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Back to the Future. He […]

This month in the Arts and Humanities

June 30, 2017.Reading time 1 minute.

Even though it’s summer, we’re still celebrating huge stories of achievement and success this month in the College of Arts and Humanities. From our students to our faculty and alums, here are some top stories from the month of June. Fresno State alum wins on Jeopardy! Peter Guekguezian thrilled audiences of the popular trivia game […]

Three from College of Arts and Humanities named 2017 Fulbright recipients

June 14, 2017.Reading time 11 minutes.

~ By Lisa Maria Boyles, communications specialist for the College of Arts and Humanities Fresno State has three 2017 Fulbright recipients, all of whom are from the College of Arts and Humanities. Two faculty members and a student have won the prestigious awards, which will take them to other parts of the world. Alice Daniel, […]

Professor Hays named Faculty Service-Learning Scholar

June 9, 2017.Reading time 3 minutes.

~ Reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com Betsy A. Hays, Department of Media, Communications and Journalism professor at Fresno State, was named the University’s Faculty Service-Learning Scholar for 2017-18. The one-year term, which is supported with faculty release time, provides professional development training and support for faculty members interested in creating or enhancing a service-learning course. Chris Fiorentino, […]

Youth Orchestras of Fresno will debut Saroyan-inspired piece in concert May 28

May 26, 2017.Reading time 2 minutes.

~ By Julia Copeland, Executive Director of the Youth Orchestras of Fresno The Youth Orchestras of Fresno will debut a new orchestral work, inspired by author William Saroyan and written by four Fresno State composers, at their annual Youth Music Extravaganza. The concert will also feature rock star violinist Vadim Gluzman (and his 300-year-old Stradivarius). This […]

Command Performance: Celebration of U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera

May 4, 2017.Reading time 1 minute.

The Chamber Singers, in collaboration with Juan Felipe Herrera, will reprise the program from their recent trip to Washington, D.C., in a command performance at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, in the Concert Hall. Read more about their recent trip here. While in Washington, D.C., the Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Cari Earnhart, premiered […]

Arts in Motion celebrates College of Arts and Humanities

May 2, 2017.Reading time 21 minutes.

~ Video Recap of Dean’s Medalist Nominees: Produced by Kameron Stiffler (lead), Edmer Archilla, Nikki McCabe, Cyrel Mallory, and Raul Reyes of the MCJ Multimedia Production Service At Arts in Motion on Saturday, April 29, the College of Arts and Humanities recognized its students of distinction from all areas of the college in a celebration of creativity and the […]

Top Fresno State teaching award goes to music professor Ben Boone

April 27, 2017.Reading time 11 minutes.

~ By Tom Uribes, reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com Dr. Benjamin Boone, professor in the Department of Music, has been awarded Fresno State’s 2017 Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, announced Dr. Lynnette Zelezny, Fresno State’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Seven faculty members were selected for the Promising New Faculty category of the Provost’s […]

Chamber Singers help Library of Congress honor U.S. Poet Laureate Herrera in Washington, D.C.

April 21, 2017.Reading time 13 minutes.

Here is the video from this today’s performance (event begins at about 7 minutes): Here is the video from the evening performance (event begins at about 3:30 minutes): Photo: The Fresno State Chamber Singers rehearse with Dr. Benjamin Boone ahead of their performance at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on April 26 in celebration of U.S. […]

Santa Monica Symphony to perform ‘Waterless Music’

October 7, 2016.Reading time 3 minutes.

VIDEO: Thomas Loewenheim conducted a performance of “Waterless Music” during a concert by the FOOSA Orchestra at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in June 2015. The Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra will perform “Waterless Music,” an orchestral composition written by Dr. Benjamin Boone that features poetry by the late Philip Levine, during its season premiere performance […]