As a composer, Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer is five years old. As a person, Elizabeth is 25 years old. She is currently seeking her master’s degree in music composition at Arizona State University. Her diploma was last seen hiding somewhere in Papago Park. It is a big park, but Elizabeth expects her professors to find it by May 2010. Elizabeth enjoys bike rides, the organic Guatemalan coffee at 3Roots Coffee Shop, Veganaise on top of almost anything, beer and cool weather. She has studied voice with Dr. Robert Best (Baylor University), flute with Helen Ann Shanley (Baylor University), and composition with Scott McAllister (Baylor University), Roshanne Etezady (ASU), Rodney Rogers (ASU) and Glen Hackbarth (ASU). Her music has been performed by soprano Joanie Brittingham soprano Allison Stanford and guitarist Oren Fader and flutist Elizabeth Janzen of the Fireworks Ensemble.

Elizabeth writes for voice, choir, small chamber ensembles, medium chamber emsembles, jazz band, orchestra, limited electronic mediums, string quartet, percussion ensembles… and the like. She writes most of her own text and draws much of her inspiration from poetry, dreams and indie pop song lyrics.

Some other inspirations, depending on the day, may range from Joanna Newsom, The Books, John Zorn, Martin Bresnick, David Lang, John Adams, the string quartets of Philip Glass, Amanda Palmer/Dresden Dolls, Ben Folds, Booooooo.com, Sondheim, Hot Chip, Laurie Anderson, 3 Sheets, The Polyphonic Spree, Luciano Berio to Saturday Night Live.

A sample of personal goals for Elizabeth would be writing a recital planning book for vocalists that focuses on music writtten in the past 50-60 years (EX: Sparrows by Joseph Schwantner, Screaming Azaelas by Scott McAllister, The Old Men Admiring Themselves in the Water by Robert Beaser…), reading all three volumes of Arcana within the next year, going on more bike rides that do not involve riding to work or school, focusing on the connection between biological evolution and the evolution of academic music.

Elizabeth’s pipe dreams include, but are not limited to, driving around the country visiting music festivals in an old van powered by used vegetable oil and writing a pop CD in which the text would not contain the word “you” and calling the album “Without You”.

AWARDS, ETC

Cortona Sessions for New Music 2010
No Extra Notes Podcast Composer Takeover 2010

Ojai Music Festival Marketing Intern 2009
Oregon Bach Festival Symposium Participant 2009