Justin Kennedy
Composer, Performer, & Music Producer
ABOUT ME
I am a composer, performer, and producer with equal parts experience in the commercial and academic fields. I have been invited to play music at the Spoleto Festival (Italy), SEAMUS Conference (Georgia), MUSLAB Festival (Mexico), and on Fox 10 News. My work has been aired on Arizona PBS and heard at venues such as Disneyland, Hamburger Sprechwerk (Germany), and the Naru Arts Center (South Korea). My original composition, Circles & Circuits was aired on BBC Radio 3 as part of a documentary on music and machines.
I have earned a selection as an Alternate for the Fulbright Fellowship, a Title VIII Fellowship, and Ventura's Endowment for the Arts. I hold BM, MM, and DMA degrees in music composition, having also picked up a music theory minor during my undergraduate studies.
My mom gifted me my first beret when I was young. She always wore one when she owned and operated her photography studio. That studio was special to me. It felt like a place where anything was possible. So, I wear berets during musical activities as a way of summoning the courage to express myself that my mom gave me in that space.
Composition Reels
Commercial & Popular Genres
Classical & Avant Garde
I earned a doctorate in composition from Arizona State University. I've worked in the commercial market as a composer and producer, making music for indie games, films, and sound installations. I feel at home whether sequencing in a DAW, arranging for and running studio recording sessions, or orchestrating for the concert hall.
I can write and produce a wide range of commercial styles, having done client work in cyberpunk, new age, R&B, and beyond. I'm also classically trained in chamber and orchestral composition. I have performances and publications in those areas as well. For instance, my chamber piece Funding Cut was included in Jean Ferris' history textbook America's Musical Landscape (8th edition).
Make the Change
Featured Full-Length Tracks
2a03
Make the Change is a track with two contrasting sections. One section is a 1970s funk-rock throwback and the other is jazz fusion. In addition to being the composer for this song, I was lyricist, music producer, principle arranger, and the bass synth player. This work was named an Honorable Mention in the 2021 SongDoor International Songwriting competition.
This track is a chiptune written as an homage to Mega Man composers Manami Matsumae and Takashi Tateishi. It is written for live performance in Ableton, through the use of a launchpad and MIDI keyboard. The title is a reference to the Ricoh 2a03 microprocessor used in the Nintendo Entertainment System. The sounds in this piece emulate those produced by that chip.
Live Electronic Music
I've been performing my original electronic music internationally for 15 years. I specialize in launchpad and analog synth performance. In my live set, I incorporate non-traditional input methods such as face-tracking and QR code tracking, mapping the data from those sources to control various parameters of sound. I am a seasoned Ableton Live and Max for Live user. My go-to digital instruments include Serum, Massive, Cherry Voltage, Spitfire, and EastWest. In addition to composing and performing my electronic music, I often serve as mixing/mastering engineer for them as well.
Press & Appearances
Felixstowe Radio, Felixstowe, England, guest on radio show named "DiscoverABILITY."
February 2022.
Phonos Foundation, Barcelona, Spain, "Justin Kennedy in short residency to work
with EyeHarp Technology." February 2022.
Arc Project Online Festival, "Composers & Technology Panel." December 18, 2021.
Star Wars Music Minute Podcast, guest on episode entitled "A New Hope: Laser Sword
Sound Design." December 6, 2021.
Hoot/Wisdom Recordings, "Demystifying Gaming Audio: Sound Design Panel."
November 13, 2020.
PhxMobi, Phoenix, AZ, "Phoenix Mobile and Emerging Tech Festival 2017."
December 5, 2017.
Image from Performance on Fox 10 News.
New Classic LA, Los Angeles, CA, "Preview: CSULB Laptop Ensemble Comes to Tuesdays @ Monk Space This Week." Cristina Lord. January 23, 2017.
The State Press, Tempe, AZ, “Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble to Showcase Student-Written Pieces.” Skylar Mason. April 3, 2016.
KJZZ 91.5, Phoenix, AZ, “ASU Group Making Music ... With Laptops.” Mark Brodie. February 26, 2016.
MUSLAB, Mexico City, MX, Interview for “MUSLAB 2015.” Gabriela W. Pacheco, Maday G. Alfaro, Miguel A. Reyes, Pedro Castillo. February 9, 2016.
Fox 10 News, Phoenix, AZ, On-Air Television Interview with LORKAS. January 2, 2016.
MH Radio, Mexico City, MX, "La Muestra Internacional de Música Electroacústica 2015." Orlando Canseco. (article in Spanish). December 16, 2015.
The State Press, Tempe, AZ, “ASU’s Laptop Orchestra Challenges Conventional Approach to Music.” Isabella Castillo. November 22, 2015.
ASU Now, Tempe, AZ, “Laptop Orchestra Pushes Buttons and Boundaries.” Marshall Terrill. November 4, 2015
ArtWalk Ventura, Ventura, CA, “Artist Spotlight: Justin Kennedy.” July 17, 2015.
Kookmin University Press Release (article in Korean). August 5, 2013.
Bob Cole Conservatory News, Long Beach, CA, “Laptop Ensemble in Collaboration with Singing Actors Group from Seoul.” July 19, 2013.
Spoleto City, Spoleto, Italy, “Cole Laptop Ensambles di Los Angeles e Singing Actors.” (article in Italian). July 12, 2013.
CSULB Scholar of the Month Article, March 2013.