Program Manager
kenken@austinchambermusic.org
512.454.7562
Kenken Gorder (he/him/his) is a versatile trumpeter, music educator, interdisciplinary collaborative artist, and arts administrator based in Austin, Texas. He is an active member of the Austin-based new music collective and chamber orchestra, Density512 and the Black House Collective, based in Los Angeles, CA. Engaging in interdisciplinary collaborations and performing alongside his closest friends are what he enjoys most. Recently, he performed at the 2024 International Women’s Brass Conference in Japan, the 2023 SEAMUS Conference, and the 2023 International Saxophone Symposium.
As an educator, his students have performed at the regional, state, and national levels. Kenken has been invited as a clinician at the University of Arkansas, Luther College, University of Mary-Hardin Baylor, and the University of Iowa. He also served on the instrumental music faculty at the North Carolina Governor’s School West program from 2021 through 2023.
An advocate of new music, he has premiered numerous pieces at live and virtual events like the Oh My Ears Festival in Phoenix, AZ; 1:2:1, a weeklong intensive led by four-time Grammy-winning cellist, Nick Photinos; and the Bang on a Can Summer Festival in North Adams, MA. He has a diverse discography recording with many artists including Kenneth Tse (The Voxman Project), Anika Kildegaard & Jean-François Charles (Missa brevis Abbaye de Thélème), and Density512 (Rosner: Music for Symphonic Wind Band & Akousmatika) to name a few. His most recent project is a solo-chamber album entitled NÜTOOTS: an album of commissions for trumpet solo, mixed duo, and mixed trio pieces by composers Nathan Nokes, Blair Boyd, Celka Ojakangas, Sam Wells, Valentin Jost, Akshaya Avril Tucker, Matt McAllister, and Wenxin Li.
Kenken earned a master’s degree in trumpet performance studying under the tutelage of Dr. Amy Schendel at the University of Iowa and a bachelor of science degree in music education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Previous trumpet teachers include Dr. Kevin Eisensmith, Ken Brader, and Kyle Fleming.
Kenken serves as the Program Manager for Austin Chamber Music Center, guiding the various projects that serve the Austin community.