KAMERON SHEFFIELD,
COMPOSER-PERFORMER
Portrait by Ryan Wilks
BIOGRAPHY
A native of Detroit, MI, and an alumnus of the Interlochen Arts Academy (℅ 2014), Kameron Sheffield currently attends the University of Missouri--Kansas City where he is pursuing a degree in Music Composition (℅ ‘19). From a young age, Kameron has always been interested in having a diverse set of artistic experiences. He has studied composition, saxophone, clarinet, flute and conducting with various teachers throughout the US: in Michigan, California, and Missouri. A proponent of up-and-coming composers, Kameron has premiered works by Seth Andrew Davis, Alex Williams, Josiah Sprankle, Tim Harte, TJ Martin, Justin Porter, Matt Sullivan, and Sean William Calhoun.
Kameron has studied with:
Composition: Paul Rudy, Cynthia Van Maanen, James Mobberley, Chen Yi, Mara Gibson, Phillip DeWalt and Zhou Long
Saxophone: Zach Shemon, Matthew Schlomer, James Barrera, and Gary Gould
Clarinet: Adrienne Geffen and Gary Gould
Flute: Mary Posses
Conducting: Matthew Schlomer
Photo by John Brant
ARTIST PHILOSOPHY
It is of the utmost importance to always be looking toward the future and innovation, while still maintaining and enhancing the work that has come before. In terms of my own compositions, I look at my music like a piece of literature. Though music theory is not an element that I focus on exclusively when composing, I include themes and symbols to answer questions I am asked or pose for myself. I often convey non-musical concepts with sound, and through this, I hope to give listeners an encapsulating and multi-faceted experience—not only for their ears but for their minds and souls.
I feel art must embody four traits. MERAKI (soul, passion, genuineness), DUENDE (expression, connection), ÉPATER LE BOURGEOIS (progress, forward momentum, shock value), and SISU (resilience through struggle). I've chosen words from different languages because their meaning transcends their translation. These elements are at the core of my artistic process.
Photo by: John Brant
