Kent Wheeler Kennan (4/18/1913-11/1/2003) was an American composer, author, educator, and professor. He attended the University of Michigan and the Eastman School of Music where he learned to play the organ and the piano. At age 23, he earned the Rome Prize, allowing him to study in Europe at the American Academy in Rome.
Kennan’s compositions include works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and choral music. He spent much of his career teaching at the University of Texas at Austin, Kent State University, and Ohio State University. During World War II he served as bandmaster for the Unites States Army. Kennan is also the author of two books, The Technique of Orchestration (1952) and Counterpoint (1987), that have been widely used as classroom texts.
