Described as “a hugely prolific musician with a wide variety of skill sets” (newmusicbuff.com), Keane Southard (b. 1987) is a composer and pianist who believes deeply in the power of music to change how people think, feel, and act, and that it can be a catalyst for positive change in the world. His music has been described as “a terrific discovery” (Bandworld Magazine) and “highly professional and well-orchestrated” (Portland Press Herald) and, taken as a whole, his works reflect his many diverse musical tastes, from medieval chant to 70’s rock, Bach to the Blues, and 19th century romanticism to Latin dance forms. He has been a recipient of many awards, most recently the 2018 Capital Hearings Young Composers Competition and the 2016 Colorado State MTNA Commissioned Composer Award, and has held residency fellowships at Playa and the Kimmel-Harding-Nelson Center. Keane earned his M.M. at the University of Colorado-Boulder in composition and is currently a Ph.D. student in composition at the Eastman School of Music. His composition teachers include Kenneth Girard, Loris Chobanian, Daniel Kellogg, Jeffrey Nytch, Carter Pann, Richard Toensing, Allen Shawn, and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. Keane spent 2013 in Brazil as a Fulbright scholar studying music education.

Featured Work

Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (III. Passacaglia)

This Sonata for Clarinet and Piano was commissioned by the Colorado State Music Teachers Association and premiered at their 2016 state conference at Colorado State University-Pueblo. I grew up playing the clarinet as my second instrument (after the piano) and played it in all of the school bands until the end of high school, but I’d be the first to say that I’m not a good clarinetist at all as I essentially never practiced and haven’t performed on the instrument since high school. Nevertheless, I have retained a fondness for the instrument as well as a decent knowledge of fingerings and how the instrument works and sounds.

-Keane Southard