Bio (as a composer):

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 19^th century romanticism to Latin dance forms. Keane has been a recipient of many awards including the Lee Goldstein Composition Award from Baldwin-Wallace College, the Cecil Effinger Composition Award and George Lynn Prize from The University of Colorado-Boulder, First Prize in the Longfellow Chorus International Composers Cantata Competition, the Charles B. Olson Young Composer Award, and the Ars Nova Singers Colorado Composers Competition. He has received commissions from the Colorado State Music Teachers Association, the Northeastern State University Wind Ensemble (OK), the Arrowhead Union High School Wind Ensemble (WI), the Sounds of Stow Chorus and Orchestra, pianist Christopher Janwong McKiggan, saxophonist Allison Dromgold Adams, and cellist Christine Thomas Tsen. His works have been performed across the US and internationally in Germany, Brazil, Poland, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Romania, and Australia. He has been awarded residency fellowships at Playa and the Kimmel-Harding-Nelson Center and summer fellowships at the Bowdoin International Music Festival and Northeastern University Fusion Arts Exchange. In the summer of 2016, Keane hiked the New England portion of the Appalachian Trail, a distance of more than 700 miles, which inspired the creation of his first symphony, commissioned by a consortium of orchestras throughout New England with premieres in the 2017-18 season. In 2016, Waltzing Dervish: The Wind Music of Keane Southard, recorded by the Northeastern State University Wind Ensemble, was released and hailed as a “major debut disc” (newmusicbuff.com). Keane earned his M.M. in composition at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he served as a graduate assistant in music theory. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with his B.M. from the Conservatory at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, OH, where he double majored in music composition and music theory with a minor in English literature. His primary composition teachers include Kenneth Girard, Loris Chobanian, Daniel Kellogg, Jeffrey Nytch, Carter Pann, Richard Toensing, and Allen Shawn, plus additional studies with Samuel Adler, Derek Bermel, João Guilherme Ripper, Brian Robison, and Hillary Zipper. An avid student of language and culture, Keane speaks Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, and German in addition to English. He spent 2013 in Brazil as a Fulbright scholar researching music education and has also taught at Bennington College in Vermont.

Bio (as a pianist):

Lauded for his “considerable keyboard skills” (newmusicbuff.com) and his “really awesome” playing (WRSU New Brunswick), Keane Southard (b. 1987) is dedicated to the performance of unknown/under-performed piano works that deserve to be more well known, and past recitals have included works of Ives, Finzi, Rzewski, Pann, Guarnieri, and Foulds.  Also a composer, he has premiered several of his own works as well as those of his colleagues.  Keane's recitals are organized into intriguing programs each tied together by a theme. By combining the performance of little-known musical gems with insights, personal connections, and stories about the music and their composers, he creates an informal concert experience where everyone is invited to explore music they've never heard before. In addition, he is a rare classical performer that isn't afraid to improvise, even occasionally performing complete recitals consisting of free improvisations. As both a composer and pianist, he brings a unique perspective to both the act of creating and performing a musical work.

Recent engagements include solo performances at Bennington College, Peru State College, the Boston Public Library, the Bowdoin Music Festival, the Aspen Composers Conference, the TUTTI New Music Festival at Denison University, the Exchange of Midwestern Collegiate Composers at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the Society of Composers Region V Conference at Augustana College, the College Music Society Rocky Mountain Chapter Conference, and the Pendulum New Music Series at the University of Colorado-Boulder. In November 2015, he performed as soloist in his own Concertino for Piano and Wind Ensemble which was commissioned by the Northeastern State University Wind Ensemble, and in November 2012, he performed as soloist in his own “Classical” Concerto which was commissioned by the Sounds of Stow Chorus and Orchestra. Keane has served as the keyboardist for the University of Colorado Orchestra, University of Colorado Wind Symphony, the Colorado Wind Ensemble, the Baldwin-Wallace College Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the l(a Contemporary Ensemble. He is also active as a classical/vocal accompanist as well as a jazz pianist. His piano teachers include Barbara Jones and Robert Mayerovitch. In 2013, Keane spent the year in Brazil as a Fulbright scholar doing research on music education.   

Short Bio (as a composer):

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 19^th century romanticism to Latin dance forms. He has been a recipient of many awards including the Cecil Effinger Composition Award and George Lynn Prize from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and First Prize in the Longfellow Chorus International Cantata Competition. He has been awarded residency fellowships at Playa and the Kimmel-Harding-Nelson Center. Keane earned his M.M. in composition at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he was a graduate assistant in music theory. His composition teachers include Kenneth Girard, Loris Chobanian, Daniel Kellogg, Jeffrey Nytch, Carter Pann, Richard Toensing, and Allen Shawn. Keane spent 2013 in Brazil as a Fulbright scholar studying music education.