Rock the Ballet

Mr. Chair is an innovative piano trio composed of Jason Kutz (piano), Ben Ferris (bass) and Mike Koszewski (drums). Based in Madison, the trio collaborates with singers, dancers, orchestras, string ensembles, poets and visual artists to pioneer exciting and distinct projects, showcasing their versatile style and interests in improvisational music.

Mr. Chair independently released two acclaimed studio albums of original music, Nebulebula (2019) and Better Days (2023) in collaboration with trombonist Mark Hetzler and guitarist José Guzmán. In 2022, Mr. Chair produced Sirena with Guzmán, singer Leslie Damaso, violinist Janice Lee, and saxophonist Jon Irabagon. Sirena is a heartfelt, operatic arrangement of Filipino art songs called kundiman, set to the story of a mythical mermaid. Mr. Chair’s newest collaboration is Spectaculous, an orchestral hip hop album with singer and poet Dequadray White. The debut single from Spectaculous “Tempo” has garnered over 11,000 views on YouTube and +500,000 plays on Instagram and Spotify.

In December 2024, Mr. Chair launched a new project featuring their rendition of Vince Guaraldi’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, selling out multiple venues in the greater Madison area. The holiday project evolves in 2025 with a concert at the iconic Ravinia Festival and an expanded performance at Madison’s Orpheum Theatre featuring the string section of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

Other notable productions include the premiere of jazz legend Roland Hanna’s bass concerto, Chant; full reimaginations of Stravinsky's Pulcinella and Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific; as well as commissioned works with UW-Madison Geoscience Professor Dr. Stephen Meyers, musically exploring scientific topics like the big bang and underground wave patterns.

For the 100-year anniversary of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Mr. Chair was commissioned by the Madison Ballet to write and perform a piano trio arrangement live with dancers. The show received widespread acclaim and was immediately reinstated for the Ballet’s ‘25-’26 season. Mr. Chair will release their studio recording of Rhapsody in Blue in 2025 alongside an EP of four original pieces.

Mr. Chair’s eclectic projects are united by a fearless exploration of musical storytelling, creative independence, technical precision and dynamic, energizing performances.