Benicia guitarist and teacher Mark Kennedy will be hosting his annual music concert featuring guitar and bass students on Sunday. (Photo by Jerry Cook)

For those seeking something to do with their dads this Father’s Day following the breakfast and gifts, Kennedy Music Studio will be hosting its annual student concert at the Benicia Public Library. After all, music is one thing that brings families closer together.

Kennedy Music Studio will be hosting its 11th annual student concert on Sunday for guitar and bass pupils. Owner Mark Kennedy, who teaches out of his home in Benicia as well as a studio in San Francisco, said the event was developed at the request of students and has remained popular ever since.

Kennedy said the concert is an opportunity to give students who have trained with him their first performance, and a big part of the success is the support the performers receive from the audience.

“Typically, we get family members and friends in the audience, so the audiences are very responsive and supportive of the performers,” he said. “It tends to be a very good thing for the performers having their first public appearance be well-received.”

Kennedy said the ages of the participants can vary. The oldest performer this year is above the age of 60. The youngest is 12-year-old Noah Luciano who will be returning for the third year in a row with his brother Nico, a San Diego State student.

The students also range in skill level from beginning to intermediate to advanced.

“I’ve had many students who have been studying with me for many years,” Kennedy said.

As always, the setlist will be an eclectic mix of genres ranging from rock to pop to folk to jazz to symphonic. Students will be performing songs from the likes of The Beatles, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Johann Sebastian Bach, Fats Domino, Erroll Garner and Ma Rainey.

“I try to give them music that everybody knows, or at least they’ve heard of, that’s challenging yet within reach for them to learn how to perform,” Kennedy said.

One highlight on the program is “The Heart of Saturday Night” by Tom Waits, which was covered by Canadian jazz pianist Diana Krall.

“We’re kind of doing her version,” Kennedy said.

Typically, the concert is performed the weekend after Father’s Day. However, Kennedy said that both the library and the previous venue— the Benicia Historical Museum’s Stone Hall— were booked that weekend, so he decided to settle on performing it on Father’s Day at the library. Incidentally, this gave the show a bit of a theme, as two fathers will be performing with their children. Dr. Steven Thompson, a trombonist and music director at Solano Community College, will be performing in a group with his son Ben. Additionally, professional pianist David Miller will be performing with his daughters Stephanie Miller and Rebecca DuMaine. Along with the presence of the Luciano brothers, the show will be a bit of a family affair.

“Performing is fun,” Kennedy said. “Music can be a community event, and you can do it with your parents. The whole family can play.”

The concert will be performed from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Sunday, June 18 in the Dona Benicia Room of the Library, located at 150 East L St. Admission is free and open to the public.

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