Conventional Biography
The typical biography for a composer will begin with a positive, possibly hyperbolic statement about the composer and a litany of their most notable success and educational backgrounds.
While this summary may be useful for the contemporary composer enthusiast on the go, they tend to all look alike and are unnecessarily dry and boring.
So here's mine!
Seriously, please check out the Comprehensive Biography. Better yet, listen to the collage, first. Slow down, take your time, listen and look at the actual music, peek into any corners. My musical life has been full of events and stories and this website is the best place for me to share them.
Kevin Hanlon has written for the widest possible media, utilizing a broad yet deeply executed variety of compositional approaches.
His works have been performed extensively in North America and Europe.
Among the many performances of his music for orchestra are those by The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Saint Louis Symphony, The Omaha Symphony, The Canton Symphony, The North Carolina Symphony The Honolulu Symphony and the Louisville Orchestra.
He is active as a guitarist with a background in rock, blues, jazz and contemporary classical music. His experience includes playing with touring groups, concert music ensembles, chamber music and session work.
He is also active as a vocalist with a background that features rock and pop, opera and art song.
He is a multi-instrumentalist, particularly in the area of improvisation.
He has been commissioned to compose works for orchestra, choir, wind ensemble, chamber music and dance.
In addition to commissions, Hanlon is constantly inspired by projects best described as Labors of Love.
He has received numerous awards including the Koussevitzky Prize, prizes from BMI and ASCAP and grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, The American Music Center and many others.
He has had residencies at The Banff Centre and The University of California, Santa Barbara.
His music has been recorded on the CRI, Folkways, Louisville Orchestra and Advance labels.
Education
• BM – Composition – Indiana University at South Bend
• MM – Composition – The Eastman School of Music
• DMA – Composition – The University of Texas at Austin
Compositional interests include
• live electronics
• contemporary tonality, (tonicality)
• stylistic synthesis, often with a goal of combining seemingly disparate influences through thoughtful attention to connections.
• song writing
• an integral approach to each separate composition