Recent Career Highlights
Music Composition
ASCAP Plus Award, 2024 (30th in career).
“Minerva at Three Rivers” for robotics and orchestra in Mars, Pennsylvania.
Premiere of “Matins à deux” by violinist Jaqueline Suzuki and guitarist Satik Andriassian in Los Angeles.
EP release "Equinox" featuring Dr. James Ford III performing "Mnemonic Meditations, Book 1" for solo trumpet.
"Drones, Improvisations, Refrains" premiered by Nicholas Isherwood, bass baritone, at June in Buffalo, 2024.
"Sidewalks" premiered at the Luckman Center, April, 2023.
Academic Recognition
CSULA President's Distinguished Professor Award 2021.
Fulbright Scholar Award, University of Malta, Spring 2017.
CSULA Outstanding Professor Award 2013.
The music of composer and bassist John M. Kennedy has been described as “coming out of contemporary music and the Jazz tradition from multiple eras” (James Newton). His first major international performance was in 1989 with the European premiere of his orchestral work “Portrait…” (VMM 3032) at the Mozarteum, Salzburg. Since then his work has been presented at festivals worldwide including “June in Buffalo”, the “Hear Now Festival” in Los Angeles, the “Soundways” festival in St. Petersburg, three World Saxophone Congresses, and concerts and recitals on four continents. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Composers Forum, and Meet the Composer have recognized and supported his work with grants and awards throughout his career.
Recent performances include the premieres of his “Sidewalks” for voices, ensemble and media, “Drones, Improvisations and Refrains” for bass baritone and fixed media premiered by renowned soloist Nicholas Isherwood in his recent tour of the US, and “Matins à deux” by violinist Jaqueline Suzuki and guitarist Satik Andriassian in Los Angeles. In June 2025 two of his orchestral works were presented, “From the Ground Up” (2011) with the Symphony of the Verdugos conducted by Dr. Paul Sherman, and “Minerva at Three Rivers” for robotics and orchestra in Mars, Pennsylvania. The latter work is in collaboration with the Mars Robotics Association and NASA/JPL, Pasadena. Other commissions include a set of double bass duos for UK bassist David Heyes. In July 2024 his EP “Equinox” was released on Soundset Recordings which included Tong Yang performing his “Breath, Smoke, Crystals” for solo saxophone and James Ford III, trumpet, performing “Mnemonic Meditations, Book 1” for solo trumpet. The latter work is part of a series of solo instrumental compositions paying homage to African Americans killed by police violence.
A significant part of his international profile is promoting music from the United States. In 2017 he received a Fulbright Scholar Award to teach at the University of Malta. During this time he and his wife, guitarist Satik Andriassian, were invited to present a lecture recital at the residence of the US Ambassador to Malta, G. Kathleen Hill. The recital featured works of American composers, including Satik’s transcriptions of Nineteenth Century African American composer and guitarist Justin Holland. This presentation was a repeat of their 2015 recital at the American Center in Beijing, China where they performed the music of George Crumb, Holland and others (pictured above). His work at the University of Malta included presentations on symbolism in the music of Charles Ives and preparing a rare Maltese performance of Terry Riley’s “In C” with student instrumentalists and dancers from the U of M School of Performing Arts.
As a double bassist he performs regularly in orchestral, chamber and Jazz groups in Los Angeles and as a soloist/improvisor he premiered a series of works by William Roper. In 2021 his teaching was recognized with the President’s Distinguished Professor Award at Cal State LA where he has served as Professor of Composition since 1994. John is a graduate of the Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory where he studied double bass with Anthony F. Knight and composition with Loris Chobanian. He went on to the University of Michigan, completing the MM and DMA in composition under Leslie Bassett and William Albright, and double bass studies with Lawrence Hurst and Stuart Sankey. He lives in Woodland Hills, California, with his wife classical guitarist and painter Satik Andriassian.
For more information on his creative activity, please visit www.johnmkennedy.net, or follow him on Facebook.
Examples of his work can be found at Soundcloud, YouTube.