21st century
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
20th century
21st century
Solo repertoire
Piccolo
Alto flute
Bass flute
Bunch Kenji
Adler, Samuel
Albert, Adrienne
Amlin, Martin
Arnauts, Dimitri
Bacri, Nicolas
Baksa, Robert
Balter, Marcos
Beal, Jeff
Bilotta, John
Borisova-Ollas, Victoria
Bullard, Janice Maille
Bunch, Kenji
Carter, Elliott
Chamberlain, Nicole
Chyrzynski, Marcel
Clarke, Ian
Coleman, Valerie
Connesson, Guillaume
Costa Roldán, Eduardo
Cueto, Daniel
Dalbavie, Marc-André
Daugherty, Michael
Dehnhard, Tilmann
Desenne, Paul
Dorff, Daniel
Egger, Fabian Johannes
Eggert, Kenneth
Firšt, Nenad
Furrer, Beat
Garrop, Stacy
Ghidoni, Armando
Gibb, Charles
Hailstork, Adolphus
Harberg, Amanda
Hersh, Howard
Hoover, Katherine
Igudesman, Aleksey
Ittzés, Gergely
Kernis, Aaron Jay
Khoury, Houstaf
Kukal, Ondřej
León, Tania
Lias, Stephen
Liebermann, Lowell
Lindberg, Christian
Linthicum-Blackhorse, William
Louke, Phyllis Avidan
Magalif, Eugene
Mitchell, Jonathan
Monroe, Ervin
Mower, Mike
Mucha, Geraldine
Mulleman, Tim
Ornstein, Maarten
Pann, Carter
Panufnik, Roxanna
Pärt, Arvo
Pattillo, Greg
Penman, Katrina
Petrič, Ivo
Price, William
Pritsker, Gene
Pucihar, Blaž
Ran, Shulamit
Rea, Stephanie
Rotaru, Doina
Rozman, Anže
Schocker, Gary
Schwantner, Joseph
Sciarrino, Salvatore
Seif, Sami
Serebrier, José
Skipworth, Lachlan
Sollberger, Harvey
Somma, Victor
Uébayashi, Yuko
Vasks, Pēteris
Widmann, Jörg
Witt, Carl
Woolf, Randall
Yi, Chen
Velocity for flute and piano
Velocity for flute and piano
Kenji Bunch: Velocity for flute and piano was written in 2006. The work was commissioned by and is dedicated to the flutist Marya Martin, who premiered it with pianist Colette Valentine in 2006 as part of the "Eight Visions" project commissioned for the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival.
The piece is a high-energy concert work inspired by 18th-century musical techniques. Bunch drew inspiration from the "Mannheim Rocket," a mid-18th-century technique featuring rapidly ascending, propulsive arpeggios designed to heighten the excitement and momentum of a piece.
True to its title, the work is marked by a "Swift and Steady" tempo and constant rhythmic motion. It utilizes wide-ranging arpeggios and driving rhythms that create a sense of relentless forward energy.
In 2006, Kenji Bunch was an established composer in New York City, deeply involved with diverse ensembles like the bluegrass band Citigrass and the contemporary music group Ne(x)tworks.
Bunch Kenji
Kenji Bunch (1973) is a versatile American composer and violist known for integrating vernacular American styles: bluegrass, jazz, and rock—into the classical tradition.
Raised in Portland, Oregon, Bunch began his musical studies on the piano and viola. His diverse early interests included playing in orchestras while simultaneously performing in rock and folk bands. He moved to New York to attend The Juilliard School, where he earned both Bachelor's and Master's of Music degrees. He studied composition with Robert Beaser and viola with Toby Appel.
Bunch’s music is frequently described as "New Americana." He avoids strict academic modernism, opting instead for a tonal, rhythmic, and highly accessible language that reflects the "melting pot" of American culture. His works often feature relentless energy and groove-oriented structures, drawing from his experience as a fiddle player and a member of the bluegrass band Citigrass.
Among his most notable compositions: The 3Gs (2003): solo work for viola; a piano trio, Swing Shift (2002); Symphony No. 1 "Lichtenstein" (2007), and ballet "Minos" (2015).
He teaches composition at Portland State University and Reed College.