It’s definitely enjoyable to see one of your students do well. I haven’t had all that much to do with Ben Jones’s education in some ways — the only thing he took ‘officially’ with me was Topics in Musical Analysis (not a trivial course, to be sure.) However, there’s been a lot more work together outside of the classroom. He’s definitely somebody who has been part of my sphere at the SF Conservatory.
He did a fine job singing “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” and “Buddy’s Blues” in the Oakland/East Bay Symphony concert production of “Follies”, sharing the stage with a number of seasoned veterans (Val Diamond, Rita Moreno, Sharon McKnight) and a lot of good folks.
It’s going well for him, which makes me very happy.