Seth Kibel: Finding Joy in Performance, Teaching, and Jazz History

Seth Kibel is one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most acclaimed woodwind performers, but don’t expect him to stay in one genre, or even one lane. With a resume that includes The Kleztet, Bay Jazz Project, Music Pilgrim Trio, The Natty Beaux, and more, Kibel is musically omnivorous. “I’m musically promiscuous,” he jokes. “I go all over and play lots of different types of music with a lot of different people. That’s what I love.”

In addition to being a Wammie-winning clarinetist, flutist, and saxophonist, Kibel is a dedicated educator. He teaches regularly through lifelong learning programs like Oasis, where he brings his passion for jazz history to a classroom filled with engaged adult learners. His upcoming class, marking the 100th birthday of legendary pianist Oscar Peterson, blends live performance with storytelling.

“As someone who’s primarily a performer, I always like to bring that into my classes,” Kibel explains. “It’s more fun for me—and definitely more fun for the students.” For this Peterson lecture, he’ll be joined by pianist Harry Appelman to help bring the late jazz great’s music to life.

But the class is about more than just virtuosity. “A lot of people know Peterson’s music, but not his story,” Kibel says. “He was the child of West Indian immigrants, growing up poor in Montreal, and became one of the most famous pianists on the globe. That journey is powerful.”

Kibel thrives on the interactive nature of lifelong learning. “Some of my students saw these artists live or even knew them,” he says. “That kind of connection makes every class different.” And like jazz itself, his lectures are never rigid. “I work from an outline, but I improvise. The classroom becomes a kind of performance too.”

From jazz clubs to community classrooms, Seth Kibel’s joy is contagious, as it’s rooted in the belief that music is not just to be studied, but felt, shared, and lived.

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And be sure to join Seth Kibel and Harry Appelman on July 15 for Master of the 88’s: Oscar Peterson at 100.