Kenton Willem (A.K.A. Kenni) is a passionate multi-instrumentalist and a composer/arranger from Nanaimo, British Columbia. They began saxophone lessons at the age of 10 after developing a fascination with Paul Desmond’s crisp sound, which they always heard on their dad’s living room stereo. Soon after starting saxophone lessons, Kenton decided to play the Brubeck hit, “Take Five” from Timeout at an upcoming school talent show. They’ve been studying and performing music ever since.

Kenton went to the Wellington Secondary School Jazz Academy program, where they began to hone their performing and arranging skills, competing often at festivals all over North America. They participated in and arranged music for several small ensembles from duos to septets. They won first place awards at The West Coast Jazz Festival, Interior B.C. Jazz Festival, The Envision Jazz Festival, MusicFest Canada The Nationals, Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, and the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival. They are an alumni of the NMA Big Band lead by Bryan Stovell, the BCMEA Honours Ensemble Big Band lead by Bernie Arai and Fred Stride, the TD High School Jazz Intensive Big Band lead by Tomeka Reid, the MusicFest Canada The Nationals Big Band lead by Alex Dean, the Rainbow Big Band lead by Tia Fuller, and the Concert Jazz Orchestra lead by Greg Hopkins.

Kenton was the recipient of a 2016 Downbeat Student Music Award for “Original Composition.” Earlier that year, they won California’s Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival Outstanding Ensemble category and Outstanding Soloist category in a drum and saxophone duo. They are also the first Canadian and 20th recipient of the full-tuition Jimmy Lyons Scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where they completed a dual degree in performance and jazz composition, alongside a minor in contemporary/classical conducting.

Since graduating from Berklee, Kenton has been teaching piano, saxophone, voice, and flute with aspiring musicians at Kenton’s Lesson Studio in Nanaimo B.C. They are also working as Choir Director of AVIVA Chorus, rehearsing with them every Saturday morning, and conducting a few concerts each year. Currently, Kenton is also deep in the process of writing their debut album.