B I O G R A P H Y
Featured by ASCAP as a “Composer to Watch,” Aaron is a Queer Australian composer based in New York City. Composing for Film, television, concert hall, and theater he was awarded Australian Young Composer of the Year, as well winning a Telly Award for Best Music/Jingle for “Etihad." Nominated for Best Song at the Hollywood in Media Awards, he is also the Music Assistant to Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty And The Beast,” “Aladdin”).
Aaron’s film work has been featured at film festivals around the world, including Cannes, Tribeca, Montreal, Zurich, St Kilda, Austin, and many more. His feature film scores include the Australian psychological thriller “Crushed,” Indigenous documentary “Remaking the Pathway,” as well as a live concert performance of the Buster Keaton classic “Seven Chances." He has also written music for several advertising campaigns, including GUCCI, Samsung, and Honda.
For his work in Musical Theatre, Aaron is a current member of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, as well as being selected for the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop (NYC 2017). He most recently was nominated for the Fred Ebb Award in 2021 alongside lyricist Robert Berliner. Aaron’s theatrical writing debuted Off-Broadway in 2016 with the musical "On Your Mark!," a contemporary adaptation of Aesop's fable "The Tortoise and the Hare," now available for licensing from Music Theater International. He was also selected for the inaugural ASCAP Foundation’s Broadway Conductors Program, made possible by the bequest of Marvin Hamlisch. His new musicals in development include: “A Hanukkah Carol” and “1989."
A graduate from the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium of Music with Honors in Composition, he also graduated from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School with a Diploma in Screen Music. Aaron also received his Masters in Music Composition from the Steinhardt School at New York University, where he was also a recipient of both the Steinhardt and Alan Menken Scholarships.
AARON KENNY IS A MEMBER OF APRA|AMCOS
HE IS ALSO A REPRESENTED ARTIST OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC CENTRE
Aaron conducting his score with the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra at 20th Century Fox Newman Scoring Stage, Los Angeles (2016)
A W A R D S & A C C O L A D E S
2021
NOMINATED BEST SCORE - PRODIGY FILM FESTIVAL (THE BOOKSHELF)
FINALIST FOR FRED EBB AWARD FOR MUSICAL THEATER
2020
WINNER BEST SOUND/SCORE - OKOTOKS FILM FESTIVAL (MY DAUGHTER YOSHIKO)
2019
WINNER - TELLY AWARD REGIONAL TV MUSIC/JINGLE (ETIMAD)
NOMINATED BEST SONG FOR SHORT FILM - HOLLYWOOD MUSIC IN MEDIA AWARDS
(A BRAND NEW YEAR)
2017
NOMINATED BEST SCORE - PORTLAND FILM FESTIVAL (SARAH CHONG)
NOMINATED BEST SCORE - PORTLAND FILM FESTIVAL (JIHADI STREET)
ASCAP MUSICAL THEATER WORKSHOP WITH STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
NOMINATED BEST SCORE - APRA/AMCOS SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS (SARAH CHONG)
2016
ON YOUR MARK! MUSICAL OFF-BROADWAY DEBUT
NOMINATED BEST SCORE - JERRY GOLDSMITH AWARDS (DISCONNECT)
NOMINATED BEST SCORE - JERRY GOLDSMITH AWARDS (A MIGHTY NICE MAN)
SELECTED COMPOSER FOR NYC BMI MUSICAL THEATER SHOWCASE
ASCAP FILM SCORING WORKSHOP WITH RICHARD BELLIS (LOS ANGELES)
2015
WINNER - APRA PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD FOR FILM & TELEVISION
NOMINATED FOR BEST SHORT FILM SCORE - APRA SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS
BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK WINNER - TISCH48 FILM FESTIVAL
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - ASIANS ON FILM FESTIVAL, LA
2014
BMI LEHMAN ENGEL MUSICAL THEATER WORKSHOP
FEATURED AS ASCAP ANNUAL "COMPOSER-TO-WATCH"
ASCAP/COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY FILM SCORING WORKSHOP (NYC)
AACTA NOMINATION FOR BEST SHORT FILM (WELCOME TO IRON KNOB)
