Todd Kitchen (b. 1987) is an American composer whose music draws form and inspiration from interrogations of nature, science, technology, literature, and vernacular music (usually in some combination). The resultant works are equal parts emotive and instructive (if abstractly so), with an emphasis on shaping his audience’s experiences of–and through–time. Atop this conceptual complexity, Todd is seeking to reexamine his artistic inheritance and ongoing role as an American composer in the early 21st century.
Todd’s music has been performed across the US and Europe by some of the foremost ensembles and performers in contemporary art music, including Ensemble Dal Niente, Talea Ensemble, Loadbang, ECCE, Transient Canvas, PRISM Quartet, Departure Duo, Ludovico Ensemble, Kathleen Supové, and more.
His current work includes the ongoing Soprasymmetry project, a collection of thematically-linked works that all incorporate soprano voice. On a piece-by-piece basis, the project draws parallels between elementary particles, the building blocks of atoms, and phonemes, the basis of all language. Current entries in the project include works for soprano and double bass, soprano and pierrot ensemble, soprano and trumpet, and soprano, string quartet, and contrabass.
Todd holds a Ph.D. and MFA in music theory and composition from Brandeis University, where he studied with David Rakowski, Erin Gee, Eric Chasalow, and Yu-Hui Chang. He attended Brigham Young University as an undergraduate, where he studied with Steve Ricks, Neil Thornock, Michael Hicks, and Christian Asplund.
Todd is currently a faculty member and the head of the Music Recording Technology department at Northern Virginia Community College. In his spare time, Todd is active as a recording engineer and producer, amateur woodworker, and weekend chef for his wife and three very musical children.
