Kenn A. Kumpf

Born in 1977 in Cincinnati, OH/USA.

Kumpf has been composing for the last twelve years and is currently a PhD candidate at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL/USA. His composition teachers have included Leonardo Balada, Augusta Read Thomas, Jay Alan Yim, and Aaron Cassidy. He has taught freshman and sophomore ear training at Northwestern. He has participated in master classes with Alvin Lucier and Mark Anthony Turnage.

In 2002 Kumpf studied composition in Torroella/Spain. In 2005 he studied in Berlin/Germany under Samuel Adler in the FUBIS Music Composition Program and in Fontainebleau under Alain Gussain and François Paris at the American Conservatory.

Recent commissions have come from the Marietta Honors’ Chamber Choir (2004), the A.G. & Pearl Barnett Foundation (2005), and the CUMC Handbell Choir (2006). Kumpf served as the guest composer and conductor of the Marietta Honors’ Chamber Choir in 2004. As a singer, Kumpf has been a member of a number of professional and pro-am choirs. As a soloist, he has performed works in the standard repertoire, but is particularly interested in overtone and throat singing, in addition to other extended vocal techniques.

Selected pieces: »Through a Gradient« for clarinet, violin, viola, guitar (2007), International Contemporary Ensemble; »Tattered Ruins of that Map« for violin, viola, violoncello (2006), American Conservatory, Fontainebleau; »Dirge« (with music) for piano and voice (2006), Barnett Voice Competition; »Episodes« for viola and harpsichord (2006), New Music in Vail Chapel, Evanston, IL; »stand with your loving on the ending earth« for soprano and piano (2005), Berlin FUBIS concert.

Kumpf received a tuition grant for the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau (2006) and was awarded the first prize in the Student Composer’s Orchestra Competition, Carnegie Mellon (2003).