Seems to change from time to time, but those that are consistant include Boulez, Bartok, Messiaen, Carter, Bassett, Mead, Hendrix, Miles Davis, Brahms, my wife Satik, Crumb, ideas from fractal geometry, and various ethnic musics I hear from friends and others.
The works of composer John M. Kennedy have been performed at major festivals and venues throughout the US, Europe, Canada, Korea and Argentina. Recent premieres include the first performances of his “Symbia” series throughout Northern Europe. The 2007-2008 season will see the premieres of “Desde el Balcón” written for violist Hong Mei Xiao and baritone Nicholas Isherwood, and the completion of his duo concerto for the Vestfold Sinfonietta (Norway), featuring Roger Arve Vigulf, clarinet and Ole Böhn, concertmaster of the Norwegian State Opera Orchestra, violin. Recognition for his work includes the Charles Ives Prize from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, grants from Meet the Composer, Inc., Young Composer and annual Standard Panel Awards from ASCAP since 1991, the American Composers Forum, Los Angeles and Creative Leave and Creative Activity Grants from California State University, Los Angeles. Other commissions include works for the Miller-Lowry Duo, the Baldwin-Wallace College Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Kalamazoo College and the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra. He is currently working on projects that involve real-time performance/improvisation via the Internet from participants in different regional locations.
After years as a self-taught Rock bassist, Kennedy began formal training at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, studying Jazz bass and arranging, and continued at the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory, studying composition and double bass. After completing the B.Mus. in double bass performance he received a commission by the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra (1985) and was awarded First Prize in the Ohio Federation of Music Clubs Young Composer Contest. As a fellowship student in composition at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Kennedy studied with Leslie Bassett, William Albright, Fred Lerdahl and Eugene Kurtz.
An advocate for the music of our time, Kennedy is actively involved in the performance and dissemination of works of living composers. Leslie Bassett, Antoine Bonnet, William Kraft, Henry Brant, Chinary Ung and Kui Dong, have all worked with him as a conductor. As music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Players he has conducted works of Stravinsky and will perform “Gnarly Buttons” of John Adams next season. He has lectured for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, interviewing many composers including Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Christopher Rouse, Jerry Goldsmith, Elmer Bernstein, Osvaldo Golijov and Esa Pekka Salonen. Since 1994 he has taught music composition and directed the New Music Ensemble at California State University, Los Angeles.
Thanks John for your beutiful comment and your friendship, I admire a lot your compositions, seems we're searching on the same road. My very best Christian
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Hi there! The Danish composer Per Nørgård's music has been much on my mind the past few years. Arguably the most important now living Scandinavian composer also has a remarkable output for the guitar. I spent a couple of years working with the composer on this repertoire, spanning from 1973 to 2000, in order to embrace the emerging performance practice associated with his work.
I have just uploaded 10 new tracks, all taken from "Tales From the North", my double CD box with the complete guitar works of Danish composer Per Nørgård. Also, in my latest blog you will find recent reviews of this release.
For further reading about the composer, this is an excellent website, with articles by a series of scholars and performers that have dedicated much study to his work:
Hi and thanks for the friendship! Here’s a video from our most recent tour, in March-April. In an attempt to merge traditions of improvisation in Vietnamese and contemporary Western culture, this is a performance of Tu Dai Oán, a traditional Vietnamese song. In this performance with Thanh Thuy (playing the dan tranh), Stefan Östersjö (playing 10-string guitar) and Henrik Frisk (laptop), this traditional tune is overlapped with free improvisation with electronics. The performance is from a Scandinavian tour in spring 2009 with The Six Tones, a Swedish/Vietnamese project merging traditional and experimental music. The video was recorded at Atalante in Gothenburg by Niklas Rydén.
Hi John, here's a video in which I play the 11-stringed alto guitar. The piece is by André Chini, videography by Josef Doukkali. Greetings from Sweden! Stefan ..
bonjour! et merci pour l'ajout! ça sera avec plaisir pour une collaboration à venir!! tjours en recherche de nouveautés dans notre duo! bonne continuation dans votre travail de qualité! Sabrina (duo aksak)
Dear John: Thanks for your cyber-friendship. Your pieces project strong lyrical lines. The solo clarinet piece is a sparkling gem. Look forward to hearing your concerto for clarinet, violin and orchestra when you have it available. Good luck with your endeavors - gil.
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