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KEN PEPLOWSKI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Ken Peplowski in New York City on May 1, 2018.
Credit: Jack Vartoogian/Getty
About the Scholarship
This fund was created in memory of legendary artist and Tribeca Jazz Institute faculty member, Ken Peplowski. Through the awarding of this scholarship, we seek to pay tribute to Ken's life and legacy as an extraordinary woodwind player and dedicated educator. This fund will apply to student tuition for one Tribeca Jazz Institute semester. A single prize is awarded each semester to a woodwind musician. Click here to donate in support!*
Who is this Scholarship for?
The Ken Peplowski Memorial Scholarship supports pre-professional adult woodwind musicians committed to learning from NYC’s modern jazz masters at Church Street School’s Tribeca Jazz Institute. This scholarship is awarded based on merit.
How to Apply:
In addition to the standard Tribeca Jazz Institute video submissions, applicants must submit a100 word personal statement discussing why they are the best candidate for that semester's scholarship.
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The personal statement should also outline the qualities each applicant posses that best exemplify Ken's character, artistry, and love of jazz.
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Please email video submissions and personal statements to chrisbyarstji@churchstreetschool.org
Students eligible for the Kem Peplowski Memorial Scholarship are selected by Tribeca Jazz Institute Interim Director Chris Byars.
* All donations made to this fund will directly and exclusively support scholarship recipients.
About
Ken Paplowski
Kenneth (Ken) Joseph Peplowski was born on May 23, 1959, in Ohio. As a child, Ken’s father, a police officer and amateur musician, formed a family polka band. Ken played clarinet, his older brother Ted played trumpet, and a neighbor played accordion. As a member of the band, Ken made his professional debut at the age of 10.
Ken continued studying clarinet throughout his childhood and pursued his musical education at Cleveland State University. While in college, he began performing local gigs, including an appearance at the Cleveland Jazz Festival, where he met trombonist Buddy Morrow. Impressed by Ken’s playing, Morrow offered him a position with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Ken accepted, moved to New York, and spent the next two years touring with the band.
Throughout this period, Ken continued to expand his musical education, studying saxophone with Sonny Stitt. In 1984, he joined Benny Goodman’s final band as a tenor saxophonist. Three years later, Ken signed with Concord Records and released his debut recording as a leader, Double Exposure. It marked the beginning of a prolific recording career that would span more than five decades and include more than 70 albums. He also became a sought-after sideman, performing and recording with celebrated artists including Peggy Lee, Woody Allen, and Madonna.
“A brilliant musician, a pioneer of the clarinet, and a gentle soul, he touched so many people through his artistry. Ken contained a quirky, comedic genius, and would light up any room or stage.”
-- Emmett Cohen, Jazz pianist & composer
Ken Peplowski's Turtle Bay Records Interview & Performance
Ken was a frequent performer at New York jazz venues including Birdland, Smalls, and Mezzrow, where he became known not only for his exceptional musicianship but also for his distinctive and often comical stage persona. Despite frequent illnesses in his later years and a diagnosis of multiple myeloma,making it difficult for him to work, Ken recorded his penultimate release, ‘Live at Mezzrow’, in February 2023.
Later that year, Ken recorded his final album, Unheard Bird, featuring arrangements of ‘Birds with Strings’ written for Charlie Parker. Ken Peplowski passed away in February 2026, leaving behind a remarkable legacy as a virtuoso, prolific recording artist, and beloved figure in the jazz community.
* All donations made to this fund will directly and exclusively support scholarship recipients.