Berklee’s Ralph Peterson Sextet, featuring some of the college’s top student instrumentalists and composers, will play New York City’s Blue Note Jazz Club on Monday, April 15, 2013. Directed by Peterson, a world-renowned drummer, the group will perform mostly original compositions, and Peterson will perform with the students on a number of tunes. It will be the 15th straight year a group of Berklee students have performed at the annual concert. Past showcases have included notable Berklee alumni Esperanza Spalding, Julian Lage, Kendrick Scott, and others.

The group will play at 8:00 pm and 10:30 pm. For ticket information, contact the Blue Note Jazz Club at 212 475-8592 or visit bluenote.net/newyork. The Blue Note is located at 131 West 3rd Street, in Greenwich Village. Admission: $15 table; $10 bar.

About Berklee’s Ralph Peterson Sextet:

Ralph Peterson, musical director and drums
Master drummer, composer, bandleader, and talent scout Ralph Peterson has carried on in the tradition of his mentor and idol Art Blakey, who was renowned for his hard-driving approach to the kit and his uncanny knack for discovering new talent. A respected educator who is currently a full-time professor at Berklee College of Music, Peterson’s protégés include such potent new drummers as Ari Hoenig, E.J. Strickland, and Justin Faulkner, to name a few. Peterson’s most recent album The Duality Perspective features both Fo’tet and Sextet configurations.

Erena Terakubo, alto saxophone
Erena Terakubo was born in Sapporo, Japan in 1992. She began playing the alto saxophone at the age of 9. She had the opportunity to participate in jazz clinics with musicians including Herbie Hancock and Tiger Okoshi while in Japan. In 2007 and 2008, Terakubo attended the Berklee Five-Week Summer Performance Program, where she was rewarded a full-tuition scholarship and was selected for the Berklee Summer Jazz Workshop with Terri Lyne Carrington. In 2011, Terakubo recorded her second disc New York Attitude with Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Lee Pearson, and Dominick Farinacci, and she was chosen as one of just six Presidential Scholars from across the world to attend Berklee.

Daniel Ko, tenor saxophone
Daniel Ko, born in Seoul, Korea, began his musical life in church. Starting with the piano at the age of 3, he became more interested and determined to expand his musical knowledge. Moving to Canada a short time after starting the piano, Ko was introduced to different types of American music, eventually leading him to play the saxophone. With the new instrument in hand, Ko was selected to play in the prestigious Ottawa Junior Jazz Band as well as the Nepean All-City Jazz Band in 2009. In 2011 Ko was awarded the prestigious Slaight Scholarship to attend Berklee.

Tomer Ron, trumpet
Tomer Ron is a 20-year-old trumpet player and composer. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and studied at Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts and Rimon School of Contemporary Music. He subsequently moved to Boston to study jazz performance and film scoring at Berklee on a full-tuition scholarship. Ron has played and studied with many great jazz artists, such as Eddie Gomez, Tiger Okoshi, and Terri Lyne Carrington. Outside of school he has also recorded as a soloist for numerous Hollywood films, including Runner Runner (Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck) and Pablo (Jeff Bridges, Andy Garcia).

Davis Whitfield, piano
As the son of two musicians, Davis Whitfield’s early years in Baton Rouge, Louisiana were filled with music. He began playing guitar at age 5, and moved to Jersey City, New Jersey at 8, where he began studying piano. While attending high school, Whitfield was accepted by the Jersey City University Visual and Performing Arts Program and served as the principal pianist in its jazz ensemble for four years. In 2008, Whitfield became the assistant director for the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra, writing arrangements and performing weekly at the Jazz Standard in New York City. Whitfield received a scholarship from the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts and attended the 2011 YoungArts Week in Miami, Florida. He also received full scholarships to attend the Berklee Summer Jazz Workshop in 2009 and 2010, and a Presidential Scholarship to attend Berklee College of Music for his undergraduate degree.

Jared Mulcahy, bass
Jared Mulcahy was born in Syracuse, New York and started playing bass at age 10. Attracted to the sound, he continued the musical journey throughout high school, where he attended prestigious music camps including the Vail Jazz workshop and the Brubeck Colony. Jared has been honored in Down Beat magazine several times. Now studying with esteemed and prestigious jazz musicians and educators, Mulcahy is ferociously immersing himself in music at Berklee College music.

Anthony Tóth, drums
Drummer Anthony Tóth was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. At age 19, he had already established himself as an accomplished and promising young musician. During his high school years, Tóth avidly performed professionally at several of Canada’s most prestigious jazz festivals and venues, including the Beaches International Jazz Festival and the Rex Jazz Club. He is currently in his fourth semester at the Berklee College of Music, studying on a full scholarship. While at Berklee, he has had the incredible opportunity to study/perform with Ralph Peterson Jr., Darren Barrett, Ron Savage, Terri Lyne Carrington, Tia Fuller, and Neal Smith, among others.

Kazuhiro Odagiri, drums
Kazuhiro Odagiri was born in Japan and at the age of 12 began classical percussion. After 11 years of classical studies, he obtained his master’s degree in percussion from the Kunitachi University in Tokyo, Japan. When he was 21 years old, he passed an audition for a big band, and he began to pursue jazz.  In 2011, Odagirl auditioned for Berklee and was awarded a full-tuition scholarship. He has played with notable musicians such as Makoto Ozone, Sadao Watanabe, and the Yellowjackets.