Kenji Bunch is an American composer and violist living in Portland, OR. Bunch currently serves as the Artistic Director of and teaches at Portland State University, Reed College, and for the Portland Youth Philharmonic. Known for "amalgamating traditional American musical forms... and European-based classical music," Bunch's work for chamber ensemble, orchestra and ballet often incorporates elements of hip hop, jazz, bluegrass and funk to critical acclaim. Over sixty American orchestras have performed Bunch’s music; his film credits include The Bellman Equation and The Argentum Prophecies; and his discography includes recordings on Sony/BMG, EMI Classics, Koch, Kleos Classics, RCA, Naxos, Pony Canyon, GENUIN, Capstone, MSR Classics, Innova, ARS, and Crystal labels.
Education and career
Bunch performed in the Portland Youth Philharmonic for five years. He graduated from Wilson High School in 1991 then attended The Juilliard School, where he earned degrees in viola performance and composition. In 1998, Bunch became a Young Concert Artists’ Composer-in-Residence, as chosen by a panel of distinguished YCA alumni. Over sixty American orchestras have performed Bunch’s music, which “reache into every section of the orchestra to create an intriguing mixture of sonic colors.” Recent works include commissions and premieres from the Seattle Symphony, the Oregon Symphony, the Lark Quartet, the Britt Festival, Music From Angel Fire, Chamber Music Northwest, the Eugene Ballet, and the Grant Park Music Festival. All-Bunch concerts have been mounted in New York City, Boston, Denver, Nashville, Mobile and Portland, as well as at the Perpignon Conservatoire in southern France, the Stamford Festival in England, and The Oranjewoud Festival in The Netherlands. Bunch's film credits include The Bellman Equation and The Argentum Prophecies, and his extensive discography includes recordings on Sony/BMG, EMI Classics, Koch, Kleos Classics, RCA, Naxos, Pony Canyon, GENUIN, Capstone, MSR Classics, Innova, ARS, and Crystal labels. Bunch was a founding member of the ensembles Flux Quartet and Networks, and played fiddle and sang with the band Citigrass for over 15 years. He is a frequent performer with jazz, pop, folk, country, rock, and experimental musicians, and his collaborations with the dance world include work with choreographers such as Toni Pimble, David Parsons, Nai-Ni Chen, Kate Skarpetowska, Paul Vasterling, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. In June 2013, Bunch was named the interim director of the Fear No Music Young Composers Project. Since 2014, Bunch has served as Artistic Director of Fear No Music, and teaches viola, composition, and music theory at Portland State University, Reed College, and for the Portland Youth Philharmonic.
