About Keck Music

Austin Keck is an accomplished American percussionist and composer based in Los Angeles, CA, specializing in contemporary solo and chamber music. With a deep passion for pushing the boundaries of classical percussion, Keck’s musical journey has been marked by notable achievements, innovative collaborations, and a commitment to expanding the sonic possibilities of the art form.

As a dedicated performer, Keck has appeared on stages around the world. He has collaborated with and premiered works by renowned composers, including Joseph Schwantner’s FAST FORWARD, an exhilarating chamber concerto for solo percussion, percussion quartet, piano, and contrabass. His ensemble work includes performances with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic, appearing in prestigious venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, UK, and the Royal Academy of Music. He has also performed internationally with the World Percussion Group and the Eastman Percussion Ensemble, and has performed at events such as the IPEA International Percussion Competition in Shanghai, China, as well as the Music for All Summer Symposium and the National Percussion Festival in Indianapolis.

Keck’s creative spirit extends deeply into his work as a composer, where he continuously explores the intersection of acoustic and electronic sound worlds. In November 2022, his groundbreaking composition Passage to an Uncharted World premiered at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, performed by the Eastman Percussion Ensemble. His recent works include Evanescence (2023), commissioned by 3D Percussion and premiered at the IPEA International Percussion Competition in Shanghai, and Confero, commissioned by the World Percussion Group and first performed at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm in May 2024. His latest commission, Hollow Horizon—a percussion concerto for solo marimba and snare drum, percussion quartet, and piano—will receive its world premiere at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois, in December 2025. These works highlight Keck’s commitment to contemporary expression, collaborative artistry, and innovative textural writing.

As an educator, Keck regularly visits schools and universities around the world to give clinics, masterclasses, and coaching on his own works and contemporary percussion performance. Recent engagements include the Royal Danish Academy of Music, the University of North Texas, Texas Christian University, Ball State University, and Lexington High School, where he coached the premiere of his piece Elysium for percussion ensemble, piano, and electronics. He is also an active collaborator with instrumentalists and composers, performing frequently on recitals, studio and film recording sessions, and premieres of new works.

In November 2024, he presented his clinic Texture Over Melody: Creating Sonic Landscapes at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in Indianapolis, further solidifying his reputation as an imaginative thinker and influential voice in the percussion and composition communities.

Keck’s career is decorated with numerous accolades, including first prizes at the Great Plains International Marimba Competition (2016, 2019) and the 2019 Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition. He also contributed his talents to the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps, earning two Fred Sanford percussion caption awards along with gold and silver medals at the Drum Corps International World Championships in 2017 and 2018.

He holds a Bachelor of Music with a minor in Audio and Music Engineering and a Master of Music in Contemporary Media and Film Composition from the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the esteemed Performer’s Certificate. His artistic aspiration is to bridge the worlds of concert music and visual media through evocative, texturally rich compositions.

Austin Keck is a Malletech Performing Artist.