Jazz CEO and symphony executive director share musically inspired home

Todd Yarrington

Katy and Benjamin Coy

Few would be surprised to learn that an impressive piano anchors the living room of two notable names in central Ohio’s music community.

The working, custom-made trombone stand, though? Now, that might elicit a surprise or two.

That trombone stand and piano sit side-by-side in the Clintonville home that Jazz Arts Group CEO Katy Coy and Central Ohio Symphony Executive Director Benjamin Coy share with their son, Anson.

The Coys bought the home in September 2024, moving back to central Ohio after eight years in south Texas town McAllen. They had lived in Clintonville during a prior stretch of time in Columbus – Ben was completing his doctorate at The Ohio State University, and Katy was working for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra – so it only made sense they would return to the neighborhood when they returned to central Ohio for Katy’s new job at JAG.

The house they picked wasn’t even one they had considered. They were looking at another Clintonville home, and when it didn’t interest them, the real estate agent suggested the 100-year-old house they’d eventually choose. And though they were initially hesitant to consider a house so old, it quickly made an impression – not least because of the ways it reminded the Coys of the old brownstone they’d called home in Chicago, the town where they were living when they met.

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“We’ve kind of let the house talk to us,” Katy says.

The house’s layout, particularly its high ceilings, made it a space that could serve as a residence and a music studio, Ben says. The quality woodwork and cabinetry was a selling point, as was the abundance of natural light.

“You don’t see these little bits of character in newer houses,” says Katy.

And the whole family appreciates the location, not far from High Street and within walking distance to the nearest ice cream shop. When events such as the Clintonville Jamboree take place on High Street, the Coys need only open their windows to hear the music.

The piano, which the Coys moved here from Texas, is the centerpiece of the living room. Ben uses it as part of the music lessons he teaches, Anson uses it as his study space and both of them play.

The trombone stand is a custom job that Ben obtained during a music educators’ conference in San Antonio. He encountered a vendor selling intricate music stands and idly asked him if he’d ever made one for a trombone, knowing from personal experience – he’s played the trombone since fourth grade, and it’s what his doctorate is in – that most trombone stands are inconvenient and unattractive. By a stroke of luck, the vendor had built just such a stand for a nephew who no longer used it, and he was happy to pass it on to Ben.

“He wanted it to go to someone who would use it and display it,” he says.

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Another musical instrument on display in the living room is the ukulele. Katy picked it up, intending to learn to play it, but was not shocked when Ben – the extensively trained musician that he is – figured it out in a matter of days.

The Coys may be musically inclined, but there’s more arts and culture than just music in the living room. Two bookshelves are loaded with references to the family’s interests, starting with a collection of plays that reflect Katy’s background in theater – as well as the circumstances under which the couple met, when Ben was in the pit orchestra for a show Katy was involved in producing. Other books include cookbooks, reference guides, sheet music, beer brewing chemistry guides and even collections of correspondence by Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein.

Socked away under the coffee table is a chessboard, hand-carved in Spain, that Ben picked up at a local antique store for the couple’s anniversary. Though the gift was just as much for Anson, who was a competitive chess player in Texas.

Hanging over the fireplace – which has been out of use for many years, but still adds character to the room – is a painting the couple bought from an artist in Central Park during a trip to New York City, not knowing where they would eventually put it.

It’s no wonder, given its contents, that the living room is the hub of much of the activity in the Coy home. It’s where Ben practices and gives private lessons, and it’s where Katy has periodically held JAG meetings and impromptu performances, the source of the room’s “Jazz Club” nickname.

“My staff Christmas party ended in a jam session this past December,” says Katy.

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The dining area tends to capture attention with the collection of artwork and other keepsakes on the wall. The Coys call it the Wall of Optimism – they originally put it together in Texas, during the early days of COVID-19 – and Katy looks at it every day as she has her morning coffee. Among the highlights of it are:

A wedding photo
A sketch of Katy created by a high school friend of hers, who drew it with her eyes closed
A poster for Andersonville, the Chicago neighborhood in which the Coys once lived
A drawing bearing a Spanish phrase that translates to “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,” a quote by German poet Berthold Auerbach

Inside the dining room cabinets is a set of hand-painted Mexican china, which the couple bought in McAllen.

At the back of the house is an office used primarily by Katy, who jokes that much of the central Ohio arts community would recognize it from the background of her Zoom calls. The huge windows let in lots of natural light, which Katy appreciates, and also offer ample opportunities to spot squirrels, rabbits, neighborhood cats and other urban wildlife.

“I love that I have so many windows that I can’t hang anything on the wall,” she says.

Still, a set of shelves adds to the room’s aesthetic, featuring, among other things:

A jar of shells Anson picked up from a beach when he was 3
A model train referencing the train line for which Katy, Texas is named
A woodcut from the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where Katy started her career

Just outside the kitchen and visible from the office is a sizable back deck, which the Coys use as a dining space and a work space when weather conditions permit. Rose of Sharon trees and lilac bushes – Katy is a huge fan of lilacs – add character to the backyard.

The spacious front porch is also a popular spot for company. Family members will post up there when they come to town to visit, and residents of the street occasionally organize porch parties, which the Coys are excited to be part of.