JAVS Fall 2005

ALTERNATIVE STYLES/FRESH FACES: THE VIOLIST AS <20MPOSER: INTRODUCING KENJI BUNCH

He was surrounded by his parenrs' eclectic record collection and lis tened to everything from opera (he attended his first live one at the age of mree) to jazz and Broadway musicals. As a member of the Portland Youth Philharmonic he developed a love of rwenriem-cen tury works (each program featured a work by a contemporary compos er)

T had the good fortune to meet violist and composer Kcnji Bunch this past summer at a one-week improvisation workshop. Kenji's music is impossible to c.1.tegorize, and for good reason. ln addition to lea rning a bluegrass tunc and an African groove in one of his class es, 1 heard him in performances of rwo movements from his viola quinter, inspired by American folk music; a transcription of a more abstract work ror solo cello cnrirled Crawl Space; and a solo piece for viola entitled The Three G's writ ten in a funk style. We spoke again one Saturday evening in September after he had successfully managed to be in rwo places at once: to hea r his music performed in person at Juilliard, and by the New World Symphony in Miami via an lnrernet2 Connecrion at Columbia Universiry.

Kenji is a soft-spoken person, per haps even a bit shy, and nor at all intimidating. He can eas il y enjoy a good laugh and prefers ro unwind in front of the television. In spite of his many accolades, one has to read his biography to discover rl1e derails of his career because he would be the last to boast about them. Rather than an obnoxious prima donna, one gets me impres sion that Kenji is just another one of rhc "fcllas. " H e is keenly aware of the facr that he has ach ieved a great deal in his short life, bu r he is consistently humble about his accomplishments and expresses tremendous gratitude toward the people and forces that have inspired him.

Kenji grew up in Portl~md, O regon, the second son of rwo music lovers.

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