Born in 1957 in Birmingham, John Kenny is a multi-faceted performer. As a trombonist his interests include contemporary solo repertoire, modern jazz and early music. He also works as an actor and is active as a composer, having received commissions from the London Contemporary Dance Theatre, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, and in 1989 was Strathclyde Composer in Residence to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.
After studying with Harold Nash at the Royal Academy of Music, John Kenny worked as an actor/musician with the Bubble Theatre in London in 1981 then made his debut as soloist in the Purcell Room in 1982. In 1983 he was a prize winner at the Gaudeamus International Competition in Holland, and has since given recitals and broadcasts worldwide, both as a soloist and with ensembles including Ensemble Moderne of Frankfurt and Ensemble Alternance of Paris. In 1993 he became the first person in modern times to play the Carnyx, Scotland's 2,000 year old Celtic Boar-headed horn. He now performs and lectures regularly with the instrument.
In 1984 he was a founder member of the TNT music theatre, collaborating with playwright Paul Stebbings to produce shows which have toured over a hundred venues in the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Russia and Japan. He is a professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, lecturer at Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, and in 1993 was elected Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two children.
John Kenny performs exclusively on Conn trombones.