Celebrity Jam Session
Celebrity Jam Session
For today’s Daily Joy, the talented teenage pianist AND violinist Ray Ushikubo is jamming alongside Kevin Olusola at Guitar Center.
For today’s Daily Joy, the talented teenage pianist AND violinist Ray Ushikubo is jamming alongside Kevin Olusola at Guitar Center.
Ray appeared most recently on Show 354 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Los Angles, CA on March 9, 2018. He has also appeared on Show 230, recorded in April 2011, at age 9.
Show 354 bio:
Ray Ushikubo (piano), 16, lives in Riverside, California. He studies piano with Ory Shihor and violin with Robert Lipsett at the Colburn Music Academy, where he is a Camille and Arnon Adar Scholar. Ray has performed on the stages of Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall in New York City and on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He made his solo orchestral debut at age 10 with the Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra, and has since performed with numerous orchestras. A recipient of the prestigious Davidson Fellow Laureate Award in 2014, Ray also won the 2016 Piano Concerto Competition at the Aspen Music Festival and School, the 2017 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, the 2015 Steinway Concerto Competition, and the Young Artists Piano Prize at the 2013 Mondavi Young Artists Competition. Ray has been featured previously on From the Top, and is a past Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award recipient. Ray’s other interests include researching Mercedes-Benz automobiles, watching classic action movies, listening to classic heavy metal and adult contemporary, and wakeboarding.
Kevin Olusola is best known as the beat boxer of the a cappella quintet Pentatonix. The three-time Grammy® Award-winning and multi-Platinum-selling group has sold more than 10 million albums and performed for fans at their sold-out shows across the globe. Their YouTube channel boasts 19 million subscribers and yields over 5.1 billion video views.
Kevin has performed at Carnegie Hall twice as a soloist on the cello and saxophone and has appeared on NPR’s From The Top. On March 10th 2015, Kevin released his first solo album, The Renegade EP, courtesy of RCA Records. The album debuted #1 on Billboard Traditional Classical and Classical Crossover charts, in addition to staying #1 on iTunes classical albums for weeks as it featured classically reimagined versions of popular songs like “All of Me,” and “Stay With Me,” as well as Kevin’s original composition “Renegade.” In 2020, Kevin released the “Don’t Let Me Misunderstood” EP which included his covers of “Time in A Bottle” (remixed by 5&Dime) and “True Colors” via RCA Records.
Kevin’s history with From the Top
Kevin Olusola appeared on NPR’s From the Top, Show 144, recorded in May 2006, at age 17.He was featured in From the Top videos: Beatboxing Bach with pianist Kadar Qian, and “Sugar” with violinist Kate Arndt.
He currently serves on From the Top’s Board of Directors.
Visit his website.
Music has the unique ability to bring joy to our lives – especially in the hands of young people. Daily Joy is a reminder of music’s power to uplift, inspire, and unite.
Daily Joy is a project of From the Top. It began in the very early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and continues today to offer a much-needed respite from the anxiety and worry that we encounter in the world.
From the Top is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the stories and artistry of young musicians through media and leadership programs. Learn more.
From the Top is grateful to the Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation for their generous support of Daily Joy.
Have questions? Email us at info@fromthetop.org.
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Daily Joy is a program of From the Top, an independent non-profit organization that relies on support from individuals. Your support will help ensure From the Top's work of celebrating the joy, talents, and stories of extraordinary young musicians.