Ben Jones has appeared as soloist with Nathan Gunn, Rita Moreno and Helmuth Rilling. His performances on stage and in concert have been met with critical acclaim in his native Bay area: "Stellar" (San Francisco Bay Times), "Showstopping" (San Francisco Classical Voice) and "First-rate" (San Francisco Chronicle). According to the Marin Independent Journal, "Jones has the voice and the charisma to play any stage, any time, anywhere." He clearly does: his versatile voice can be heard on national advertisements for Coors Light and on numerous recordings, including a recent release on Albany Records. In both 2007 and 2008, Jones received nominations for Best Actor in a Musical from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.
Jones Grew up in Peoria. Cutting his teeth in the music and drama departments of the Peoria Public Schools and at Peoria Players and Eastlight Theatre, he quickly became known by audiences and critics alike as a rising star. In college, Jones joined the internationally-acclaimed comedy octet, The Other Guys, ascending to the directorship in his fourth year of membership for the ensemble's 35th anniversary.
Since coming to the Bay Area, Jones has enjoyed a healthy performing schedule. In March 2008, he was joined in San Francisco by Lindsay Jones and The Other Guys for a recital of works by Tom Cipullo, Anton Bruckner, Hector Berlioz and Benjamin Britten. He soon after took the stage alongside Rita Moreno, Val Diamond and Sharon McKnight for Stephen Sondheim's Follies at the Paramount Theatre. In July, he appeared at Broadway by the Bay as Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, once again garnering critical praise and a nomination from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for Best Actor in a Musical. Jones won rave reviews in October and November for his leading turns in a double bill of Stravinsky pieces with the Oakland Opera. He then joined the cast of the longest-running musical revue in theatre history, Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon, where he appeared regularly until August 2009 in multiple roles, skewering politicians and celebrity icons in fast-paced song and dance.
In May, 2009, Jones reprised his critically-acclaimed appearance as Ravenal in Show Boat in Concert as a part of the East Bay Symphony's American Masterworks Series at the Paramount Theatre. Other performances included the Mozart Requiem (as soloist) with the Santa Clara Chorale and his ongoing engagement as soloist with the solemn Mass Choir at St. Dominics Church.
Jones devotes a great deal of time as well to working with young musicians. Thanks to a generous arts grant from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Jones has conducted orchestras in the San Francisco Public and Charter Schools. From 2007-2009, he enjoyed two seasons as conductor of the San Jose Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra, an ensemble he developed from twenty-five students in the first rehearsal to more than seventy-five.
In August, Jones left his posts at Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon, the San Jose Youth Symphony and St. Dominics Church to join Chanticleer, the Grammy Award-winning "Orchestra of Voices," based in San Francisco. He looks forward to a rigorous tour schedule and countless workshops with choral singers, young and old.
Jones received his B.A. with high distinction in Cinema Studies from the University of Illinois, and an M.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice with tenor Cesar Ulloa and conducting with Michael Morgan. He resides in San Francisco.
Jones Grew up in Peoria. Cutting his teeth in the music and drama departments of the Peoria Public Schools and at Peoria Players and Eastlight Theatre, he quickly became known by audiences and critics alike as a rising star. In college, Jones joined the internationally-acclaimed comedy octet, The Other Guys, ascending to the directorship in his fourth year of membership for the ensemble's 35th anniversary.
Since coming to the Bay Area, Jones has enjoyed a healthy performing schedule. In March 2008, he was joined in San Francisco by Lindsay Jones and The Other Guys for a recital of works by Tom Cipullo, Anton Bruckner, Hector Berlioz and Benjamin Britten. He soon after took the stage alongside Rita Moreno, Val Diamond and Sharon McKnight for Stephen Sondheim's Follies at the Paramount Theatre. In July, he appeared at Broadway by the Bay as Jimmy in Thoroughly Modern Millie, once again garnering critical praise and a nomination from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle for Best Actor in a Musical. Jones won rave reviews in October and November for his leading turns in a double bill of Stravinsky pieces with the Oakland Opera. He then joined the cast of the longest-running musical revue in theatre history, Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon, where he appeared regularly until August 2009 in multiple roles, skewering politicians and celebrity icons in fast-paced song and dance.
In May, 2009, Jones reprised his critically-acclaimed appearance as Ravenal in Show Boat in Concert as a part of the East Bay Symphony's American Masterworks Series at the Paramount Theatre. Other performances included the Mozart Requiem (as soloist) with the Santa Clara Chorale and his ongoing engagement as soloist with the solemn Mass Choir at St. Dominics Church.
Jones devotes a great deal of time as well to working with young musicians. Thanks to a generous arts grant from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Jones has conducted orchestras in the San Francisco Public and Charter Schools. From 2007-2009, he enjoyed two seasons as conductor of the San Jose Youth Symphony Concert Orchestra, an ensemble he developed from twenty-five students in the first rehearsal to more than seventy-five.
In August, Jones left his posts at Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon, the San Jose Youth Symphony and St. Dominics Church to join Chanticleer, the Grammy Award-winning "Orchestra of Voices," based in San Francisco. He looks forward to a rigorous tour schedule and countless workshops with choral singers, young and old.
Jones received his B.A. with high distinction in Cinema Studies from the University of Illinois, and an M.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied voice with tenor Cesar Ulloa and conducting with Michael Morgan. He resides in San Francisco.
Photography by Matthew Washburn.
