Jonny Kao: Performing Artist in New York

About Jonny Kao

Jonny Kao is a New York–based composer, arranger, and bandleader whose work often centers on large-ensemble writing. At the Kupferberg Center for the Arts, he has been presented on the Queens Jazz Trail with Jonny Kao & His 17-Piece Instrument, and he has also performed in projects led by composer-arranger John Yao, including John Yao & His 17-Piece Instrument. His charts lean on tightly organized section writing, with brass-heavy voicings and layered rhythms. The approach favors clarity and structure over spectacle.