John Kenny
Encyclopedia
John Kenny is a British
trombonist, actor
, composer
and multi-faceted performer of contemporary solo repertoire, modern jazz and early music
. As a composer, he has received commissions from the London Contemporary Dance Theatre
, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
, and in 1989 was Strathclyde Composer in Residence to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
.
After studying with Harold Nash at the Royal Academy of Music
, John Kenny worked as an actor/musician with the Bubble Theatre in London
in 1981. He made his debut as a soloist in the Purcell Room
in 1982. In 1983 he was a prize winner at the Gaudeamus Foundation
's International Competition in Holland, and has since given recitals and broadcasts worldwide, both as a soloist and with ensembles, including Ensemble Modern
of Frankfurt and Ensemble Alternance
of Paris.
He was a founder member of the TNT music theatre in 1984, collaborating with playwright
Paul Stebbings
to produce shows which have toured over a hundred venues in the UK
, Scandinavia
, Germany
, Russia
and Japan
.
In 1993 he became the first person in modern times to play the Carnyx
, Scotland
's 2,000 year old Celtic Boar-headed horn. He now performs and lectures regularly with the instrument. In the same year he was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in London and lecturer at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart
and now lives in Edinburgh
with his wife, Irene and his two children, Patrick and Ruairi.
John Kenny performs exclusively on C.G. Conn trombones.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
trombonist, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and multi-faceted performer of contemporary solo repertoire, modern jazz and early music
Early music
Early music is generally understood as comprising all music from the earliest times up to the Renaissance. However, today this term has come to include "any music for which a historically appropriate style of performance must be reconstructed on the basis of surviving scores, treatises,...
. As a composer, he has received commissions from the London Contemporary Dance Theatre
London Contemporary Dance Theatre
The London Contemporary Dance Theatre was a contemporary dance company, based at The Place, founded by Robin Howard with Robert Cohan as its Artistic Director....
, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival is held in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It has a repertoire of cutting-edge jazz, orchestral, choral and electroacoustic performances, along with film, dance and music theatre...
, and in 1989 was Strathclyde Composer in Residence to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is Scotland's national chamber orchestra, based in Edinburgh. One of Scotland’s five National Performing Arts Companies, the SCO performs throughout Scotland, including annual tours of the Scottish Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland. The SCO appears...
.
After studying with Harold Nash at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, John Kenny worked as an actor/musician with the Bubble Theatre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1981. He made his debut as a soloist in the Purcell Room
Purcell Room
The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the Southbank Centre, one of central London's leading cultural complexes. It is named after the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and has 370 seats....
in 1982. In 1983 he was a prize winner at the Gaudeamus Foundation
Gaudeamus Foundation
The Gaudeamus Foundation and Contemporary Music Center is a renowned center for contemporary music. The Gaudeamus Foundation organizes and promotes contemporary musical activities and concerts both in the Netherlands and abroad...
's International Competition in Holland, and has since given recitals and broadcasts worldwide, both as a soloist and with ensembles, including Ensemble Modern
Ensemble Modern
Ensemble Modern is a chamber ensemble dedicated to the music of modern composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countries....
of Frankfurt and Ensemble Alternance
Ensemble Alternance
Ensemble Alternance is a chamber ensemble of soloists devoted to the performance of contemporary classical music. The ensemble was founded in 1983 by the flautist Jean-Luc Menet with intention of "developing, integrating and exploiting the chock of temporal passages as well as cultural and new...
of Paris.
He was a founder member of the TNT music theatre in 1984, collaborating with playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
Paul Stebbings
Paul Stebbings
Paul Stebbings is an actor and the artistic director of TNT music theatre and The American Drama Group Europe.- Biography :Stebbings was born in Nottingham and studied drama at Bristol University. He trained in the Grotowski method with Triple Action Theatre in Britain and Poland.Stebbings founded...
to produce shows which have toured over a hundred venues in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
In 1993 he became the first person in modern times to play the Carnyx
Carnyx
The carnyx was a wind instrument of the Iron Age Celts, used between c. 300 BC to 200 AD. It was a type of bronze trumpet, held vertically, the mouth styled in the shape of a boar's, or other animal's, head. It was used in warfare, probably to incite troops to battle and intimidate opponents...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's 2,000 year old Celtic Boar-headed horn. He now performs and lectures regularly with the instrument. In the same year he was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
in London and lecturer at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and now lives in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
with his wife, Irene and his two children, Patrick and Ruairi.
John Kenny performs exclusively on C.G. Conn trombones.
Discography
- A Field of Scarecrows
- Locking Horns
- Amaterasu
- The Voice of Carnyx
- Forest-River-Ocean
- Nomad
Compositions
- Bamburgh Beach
- Bleaklow Fragment
- Fanfare
- Pandora's Box
- Secret House
- Sonata for Alto Trombone
- Sonata for Tenor Trombone
- Sonata for Bass Trombone
- Sonata for Contrabass Trombone
- Trombone Quartet