Alexi Kenney - About

BBT is an extraordinary organisation, headed by people with heart, imagination and wisdom, and it has been a beacon of hope for me during this difficult time. Being able to dream up future projects knowing that I have support from the BBT to make them happen has provided me with the peace of mind to create freely. I am so grateful for their unwavering support, both financially and creatively, and feel deeply honoured to be included on their roster.

American violinist Alexi Kenney had already received a 2016 Avery Fisher Career Grant and been named by the New York Times as “a talent to watch” before his 2020 BBT Award. With an eclectic repertoire based on his beloved chamber music, but also with an interest in contemporary music and the forging of new partnerships with fellow musicians, it was no surprise that Alexi would use his BBT money imaginatively.

First off, Alexi filmed a ‘visual album’ of Paul Wiancko’s X Suite, a work specially composed for him, and filmed against the spectacular backdrop of seven monumental works of art set in the landscape of the Donum Estate in Alexi’s home state of California. He then commissioned two new works, Salina Fisher’s Hikari and Angélica Negrón’s The Violinist, which he integrated into his Shifting Ground project, a continually evolving performance that brings together solo Bach works with contemporary scores. Alexi gave the UK premieres of these commissions at BBT’s 20th anniversary celebrations at London’s Wigmore Hall, and used the remainder of his BBT funding to record and release them as part of his debut CD, Shifting Ground, on the Bright Shiny Things label.

Alexi was supported with a BBT Award between 2020 and 2024.

For a current biography please visit alexikenney.com or opus3artists.com

Read Alexi’s blogs: X Suite for Solo Violin: In Conversation with Paul Wiancko here; and A Visual Album: X Suite for Solo Violin here

Press Releases: Wiancko X Suite for Solo Violin / Shifting Ground

Photographs by Mike Grittani and Simon Weir