About Cameron Kennedy

Cameron Kennedy is a composer, multimedia artist and currently a 4th year UCSB Music Composition student studying at the College of Creative Studies under professors Andrew Watts and Leslie Hogan. His pieces have been performed by several ensembles including the Longleash trio and the Nois Quartet during his time at University. While Cameron was trained as a classical composer with an emphasis on piano performance, his recent compositional developments have explored the meaning and potential of organic sounds into the world of music creation. In pieces such as “Snap Crack Pop”, he relied on the various clicks, cracks, and pops from his own body to compose a fully personified auditorial experience. In a world where automation is considered the default when composing with DAW’s, he believes such a personal example of sound inspiration is his own way of adding humanity and personability back into the medium of music.

Another recent development in his desire to incorporate organic sound into his works has involved a collaboration with Karl Yerkes of the UCSB MAT department in creating a custom instrument within VsCode. Inspired by the natural sounds surrounding UCSB Campus, the instrument combines both live audio with the generation of computer graphics. Cameron hopes this project will develop to the point where each sound is tied to a custom animated sequence. Based on the keys the composer uses in their composition, a custom animated landscape will accompany their work. Cameron recently presented his findings at the annual College of Creative Studies RACA-CON convention in an oral presentation and graphic display.