BIOGRAPHY

Keyna Wilkins (b.1981) is a pioneering Australian/British composer-musician of contemporary classical music. Characterised by an ongoing fascination with astronomical phenomena and the incorporation of jazz harmonies, improvisation, electroacoustic elements and dance forms into her compositions, her works are engaging in character, multi-facetted in concept and entertaining in public perception. Since 2011, nine of her compositions have been published by the Australian music publishing house, Wirripang. Her music has been performed around Europe and Australia including the Art Gallery of NSW, the Basement, Seymour Centre, Sydney Conservatorium’s Verbruggen Hall by ensembles such as Sydney Conservatroium Sax Orchestra, Spanish Encounters Festival Ensemble, Sonic Odyssey (UK), Art of Cadencia, Pena Flamenca and Ephemera Ensemble as well as musicians such as Alison Mitchell, Elsen Price, Will Gilbert and Elodie Sablier.

Wilkins is also a versatile flautist and pianist. With international classical training at Bristol Uni and Bath Spa Uni (UK), Hildesheim Uni (Germany), she has branched into jazz, experimental live theatre, flamenco fusion and improvisation. She has performed around Europe and Australia including Sydney Opera House and the Basement,in a wide diversity of ensembles. Highlights include opening the Adelaide Fringe Festival with Flamenco Australia in 2012 and opening the Picasso Exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW with French noir trio Les Violettes in 2011.

Composer website: http://www.keynawilkins.com/

FEATURED WORKS

Full Moon, for solo trumpet.

A main source of inspiration for this piece was watching footage from NASA’s Grail Mission to map the moon in 2012. The moon seems serene, ghostly, unhuman, impartial. The opening melody is very slow and thoughtful, meandering, featuring slow ascending septuplets, as if walking and relatively weightless on the moon itself. The rest of the piece stems from the opening material.

Featured in Jazz-World Waves – November 2017