KonGruENT
Dr. Kenneth Gill is a trombonist, educator, composer, consultant, advocate for the arts, involved as both a practitioner and researcher. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan, home of a rich cultural legacy of music and the perfect place to develop and hone his own musical acumen.
Growing up, Kenneth’s father told him about his own musical endeavors with the trombone and exposed him to his favorite musicians; he shared the unique trombone sound of Wayne Henderson and the Jazz Crusaders. Kenneth’s musical curiosity was sparked; he wanted to emulate that sound and began playing the trombone. His father took him to purchase his first horn, and he joined the William Ruddiman Middle School band. He later attended the newly founded Detroit School of Arts where he graduated before going on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Education degree from Howard University, a Master of Music in Performance degree from Kent State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation degree from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
While at Howard University, Kenneth was regularly exposed to lectures from a plethora of jazz masters and pedagogues. It was not uncommon for legendary musicians and world-renowned, prominent figures to visit and share their wisdom; his formative years at Howard made an indelible impact on his life and world perspective.
During his time at Kent State University, Kenneth studied trombone performance and jazz trombone. He was the principal trombonist in the university orchestra, a member of the graduate brass quintet and a member/featured soloist with the jazz ensemble. While there, he won an Outstanding Soloist Award at the Elmhurst University Jazz Festival.
In 2021, Kenneth came to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor as one of two in the inaugural cohort for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation. While there, he served as Director of the Campus Jazz Ensemble and was a graduate student instructor for other jazz department courses. He spent his time studying and researching with well-respected academics, arrangers, composers, musicians, and intellectuals.
As an in-demand and sought after trombonist, Kenneth has recorded and performed with various artists and ensembles. In 2015, he released a single entitled Work in the Morning and in 2019, he released a full studio album entitled The Good News. He currently leads his own jazz ensemble known as KonGruENT, is a first-call studio musician, works as a copyist, transcriber, arranger, as well as a composer of original works. He serves as a facilitator for individual or group instruction and a clinician for musical intensives and band camps. In addition to keeping a full schedule as a working musician, he currently serves as a certified music educator in the Detroit Public Schools Community District.
Notable artists/ensembles with whom Kenneth has graced the stage include: the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Terence Blanchard, Kurt Elling, Darius Rucker, Marcus Belgrave, Gerald Wilson, Grady Tate, Donald Byrd, Clark Terry, Yusef Lateef, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Gladys Knight, El DeBarge, Boyz II Men, Tori Kelly, Martha Reeves, Ray Chew, Les Nubians, Jennifer Holiday, Mutiny, Mike Phillips, and more.
| Date | Friday, October 17, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Time | 4:00pm - 5:30pm |
| Location | Main |
| Age Group | All Ages |
| Category | Music & Performing Arts |