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Music

Administration

Composition Faculty

Instrumental Faculty

Voice Faculty

Jazz Faculty

Early Music Faculty

Jessika Kenney

Adjunct Instructor


Voice

jkenney@cornish.edu

Jessika Kenney

Vocalist Jessika Kenney’s (Cornish ‘07) work demonstrates deep appreciation and understanding of both traditional musics and experimental methods. She has performed and recorded Classical Persian vocal repertoire with ney master Ostad Hossein ‘Omoumi, as well as new and traditional Javanese music with Gamelan Pacifica and Gamelan Madusari. She has also performed or recorded the music of numerous contemporary composers including John Cage, Jarrad Powell, Eyvind Kang, and Tadao Sawai. From 1994–97 she studied with the jazz vocalist Jay Clayton; for several extended periods between 1997–2001 Kenney lived in Indonesia, studying and performing traditional Javanese vocal music with Nyi Supadmi and collaborating on music and theater in experimental settings. She currently studies classical Persian vocal music with Ostad Hossein ‘Omoumi.

Performance highlights include appearing as a soloist with the Orchestra del Teatro Communale, Bologna, Italy, under the direction of Aldo Sisillo in 2003, in Athlantis with vocalist Mike Patton and the Coro da Camera di Modena, Italy in 2006, and in Eyvind Kang’s Shadow of Ideas in Milan and Barcelona in 2007. Her recordings include The Stonehouse Songs with Jarrad Powell, the voice/viola duet Aestuarium with Eyvind Kang, and Voices of Spring with the Hossein Omoumi Ensemble. She has created numerous experimental wayang (shadow plays) including Maya in the Bardo (1996), and Atria (2006), as well as many other works for voice and mixed ensembles.

Music