Albums and Performances
Spanish Air
My first ever EP was recorded at my home piano when I was 17 and produced by John Pojman. These songs originated as piano compositions but have since evolved into songs that I have arranged and written lyrics for. The arranged versions of these songs will appear on my future large scale album Senior Year.
Paintings
Paintings was my second recording project with Pojman. However, many of these pieces were written mostly before Spanish Air and represent my very first forays into composition. Though not as polished as some of my later piano sets, there is a wonderful freedom and imagination to these pieces that makes them highly enjoyable.
Nocturnes
Nocturnes was my third collaboration with Pojman and perhaps my personal favorite. My nocturnes where especially influenced by the Nocturnes of Satie, but there is also the influence of Chopin, Debussy, and Philip Glass. They exist in a world somewhere in between minimalism and impressionism. It is album celebrating solitude and contains some of deepest and most introspective writing.
Organ Sonata
For my first solo organ work, I took the works of Johann Sebastion Bach as my example. In addition to being my favorite composer, his music inspired me to take a new direction in my composing. Writing in his vernacular helped me develop a linear, development-based approach to composition as opposed to the vertical, repetition-based approach of the Nocturnes. Despite the unmistakable influence of Bach, the piece remains as much a Kenny Schafer work as any. Movements 1, 3, and 4 of this work have been performed and recorded by Charles Burkes and posted to Youtube.
1st Movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W38Of6eB-yw
3rd Movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx9oqXIZFpc
4th Movement
Road Racer
Road Racer is my newest and proudest achievement. This lively pop song may be a welcome change of pace in contrast with the introspective world of my classical music. But Road Racer is far from a shallow pop song. It has depth and real insight into the human experience. This new single will be the opening track on what my future album School Days.
Solo For Solomon
Solo for Solomon is a short fun piece for solo viola written for my friend and colleague Solomon Leonard. It merges the rhythms of Africa with the forms of Western classical music. Here is Solomon's Junior Recital performance of Solo for Solomon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5R2BwvAi8Q&list=OLAK5uy_lAr1a7clxX4KmYx0flpQtDURXe3EIJVfs&index=4
Smoothly the Sun
Smoothly the Sun Sets is a setting of an original poem written for LSU's Collaborative Piano Institute. In this program, I was fortunate to work with some of the best performers I have ever worked with to produce a haunting rendition of this piece.