A
respected and active guitarist, composer, and educator in the Pittsburgh
area, Ken Karsh has been involved in music since he began playing guitar
at the age of 9. His guitar instructors included Tom Mester, Denny Cameron,
the late Alex Radulesco and Joe Negri. He attended Berklee College of
Music and received his B.M. & M.M. in performance at Duquesne University.
While at Duquesne University, Karsh studied composition with Joseph Jenkins
and jazz composition with Michael Tomaro. He has performed with Jimmy
McGriff, Barry Miles, Spider Rondinelli, Eric Kloss, Bobby McFerrin, Lee
Konitz, Larry Elgart, Joe Negri, Joey DeFrancesco, “Papa John”
DeFrancesco, Jack McDuff, Gene Ludwig, Bernadette Peters, the Wheeling
Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh
Opera Orchestra (performing on Mandolin), Nathan Davis, Michael Gibbs,
and Angel Romero. Karsh was the guitarist for numerous Pittsburgh Civic
Light Opera musical theater productions, including Jesus Christ, Superstar,
Chess, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Parade (composed by Jason Robert Brown,
who also conducted), Fiddler On The Roof (performing on guitar and mandolin),
Copacabana (composed by Barry Manilow) and recently The Lion King (at
the Benedum Theatre with Gazelle Company). In 1981, Karsh was the electric
guitar soloist in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s performance
of Andre Previn’s Concerto For Guitar And Orchestra. He has been
featured on recordings with Bobby McFerrin, Gene Ludwig, Nathan Davis,
Eric Kloss, Jimmy Sapienza, Arnold Sterling, Darryl Alexander, Lisa Ferraro,
and the Wheeling Symphony. Karsh is a faculty member at the Mary Pappert
School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA and a faculty
member at the Duquesne University Summer Guitar Workshop. Karsh is a member
of the Duquesne University faculty guitar ensemble Catch 22 and is featured,
along with his colleagues Bill Purse, Mark Koch, and Jeff Mangone on their
CDs Reappearance and Sly On Life. Karsh’s composition Sly On Life,
the title track of Catch 22’s new CD release, was featured on the
Black Entertainment Television network (BET) and on WQED’s On Q
television program (both performances by Catch 22). His arrangements and
etudes are featured in the Mel Bay and Warner Bros. publications, Jazz
Guitar Standards (2002) and Jazz Guitar Standards: Chord Melody Solos
and Mel Bay’s Guitar Journals: Jazz. Karsh has authored two textbooks
for guitar: Jazz Scale Workout (Mel Bay Publications) and Fingerboarding
Made EZ: Scale & Arpeggio Visualization for Guitar (self published).
Karsh has recently released a CD of his own compositions and jazz standards
entitled Ventana. Karsh is an endorser for Brockman Guitars, Mendoza Classical
Guitars, Fender Musical Instruments and John Pearse Strings. He lives
in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife Andrea and their two children Alana and
Aaron.
A
respected and active guitarist, composer, and educator in the Pittsburgh
area, Ken Karsh has been involved in music since he began playing guitar
at the age of 9. His guitar instructors included Tom Mester, Denny Cameron,
the late Alex Radulesco and Joe Negri. He attended Berklee College of
Music and received his B.M. & M.M. in performance at Duquesne University.
While at Duquesne University, Karsh studied composition with Joseph Jenkins
and jazz composition with Michael Tomaro. He has performed with Jimmy
McGriff, Barry Miles, Spider Rondinelli, Eric Kloss, Bobby McFerrin, Lee
Konitz, Larry Elgart, Joe Negri, Joey DeFrancesco, “Papa John”
DeFrancesco, Jack McDuff, Gene Ludwig, Bernadette Peters, the Wheeling
Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh
Opera Orchestra (performing on Mandolin), Nathan Davis, Michael Gibbs,
and Angel Romero. Karsh was the guitarist for numerous Pittsburgh Civic
Light Opera musical theater productions, including Jesus Christ, Superstar,
Chess, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Parade (composed by Jason Robert Brown,
who also conducted), Fiddler On The Roof (performing on guitar and mandolin),
Copacabana (composed by Barry Manilow) and recently The Lion King (at
the Benedum Theatre with Gazelle Company). In 1981, Karsh was the electric
guitar soloist in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s performance
of Andre Previn’s Concerto For Guitar And Orchestra. He has been
featured on recordings with Bobby McFerrin, Gene Ludwig, Nathan Davis,
Eric Kloss, Jimmy Sapienza, Arnold Sterling, Darryl Alexander, Lisa Ferraro,
and the Wheeling Symphony. Karsh is a faculty member at the Mary Pappert
School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA and a faculty
member at the Duquesne University Summer Guitar Workshop. Karsh is a member
of the Duquesne University faculty guitar ensemble Catch 22 and is featured,
along with his colleagues Bill Purse, Mark Koch, and Jeff Mangone on their
CDs Reappearance and Sly On Life. Karsh’s composition Sly On Life,
the title track of Catch 22’s new CD release, was featured on the
Black Entertainment Television network (BET) and on WQED’s On Q
television program (both performances by Catch 22). His arrangements and
etudes are featured in the Mel Bay and Warner Bros. publications, Jazz
Guitar Standards (2002) and Jazz Guitar Standards: Chord Melody Solos
and Mel Bay’s Guitar Journals: Jazz. Karsh has authored two textbooks
for guitar: Jazz Scale Workout (Mel Bay Publications) and Fingerboarding
Made EZ: Scale & Arpeggio Visualization for Guitar (self published).
Karsh has recently released a CD of his own compositions and jazz standards
entitled Ventana. Karsh is an endorser for Brockman Guitars, Mendoza Classical
Guitars, Fender Musical Instruments and John Pearse Strings. He lives
in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife Andrea and their two children Alana and
Aaron.