My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

John M. Kennedy Receives A 2021 Cal State LA President's Distinguished Professor Award

This award acknowledges the faculty member's superlative teaching and exceptional commitment to students, as well as professional accomplishments and services.

By:

John M. Kennedy Receives A 2021 Cal State LA President's Distinguished Professor Award Image

Cal State LA recognized John M. Kennedy for his excellence in teaching and outstanding achievements during the University Convocation 2021.

Kennedy, a professor of music composition in the university's Department of Music, was presented a 2021 Cal State LA President's Distinguished Professor Award during the August 19 event. This award, which goes to a previous outstanding professor recipient, acknowledges the faculty member's superlative teaching and exceptional commitment to students, as well as professional accomplishments and services.

Kennedy's creative activity and scholarship have an international focus and include a U.S. Fulbright Scholar Award to the University of Malta and performances of original compositions in 15 countries on four continents. His work has been recognized with annual awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers since 1991, along with commissions from soloists and ensembles worldwide. He continues to explore styles and sounds through improvisation projects on the double bass.

At Cal State LA, he has been active in cross-campus initiatives, including the Ford Foundation's Crossing Borders project and the Smithsonian's American Sabor exhibition. His work to enhance the music composition program has included regular collaborations with the L.A. Philharmonic and guest ensembles from the U.S. and Europe. He also developed and implemented a cross-disciplinary music minor program, Creative Studies in Music. He is a current fellow of the American Communities Program at Cal State LA.

His scholarship is focused on the convergence of musical styles in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and he is active in advocating for reform of the undergraduate music curriculum nationwide. He and his wife, guitarist Satik Andriassian, have presented joint research and performances in China, Malta, the United Kingdom and Italy. In 2013, he received Cal State LA's Outstanding Professor Award.

A Woodland Hills resident, Kennedy attended the Berklee College of Music and Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, completing undergraduate studies in double bass. He received a fellowship in composition to attend the University of Michigan, where he completed the M.M. and A.Mus.D. While attending Michigan, he was awarded the prestigious Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York.

Theater Fans' Choice Awards
2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats
Best Featured Performer in a Play - Top 3
1. Laurie Metcalf - Death of a Salesman
8% of votes
2. Danny Burstein - Marjorie Prime
5.4% of votes
3. Ben Ahlers - Death of a Salesman
5.2% of votes

Don't Miss a Los Angeles News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...


Videos


The Most Happy Fella in Los Angeles The Most Happy Fella
North Coast Repertory Theatre (6/03-6/28)
Millennials Are Killing Musicals in Los Angeles Millennials Are Killing Musicals
Colony Theatre (4/30-5/17)
In the Blink of an Eye: A Musical Memoir in Los Angeles In the Blink of an Eye: A Musical Memoir
The Pico (6/19-6/21)
Melt : The Play in Los Angeles Melt : The Play
The Marilyn Theatre at the Lee Strasberg Institute (6/11-6/13) PHOTOS
A CINDERELLA Summer – an “Enchanting” Rudie-DeCarlo Family Theatre Musical for kids 2 to 102  in Los Angeles A CINDERELLA Summer – an “Enchanting” Rudie-DeCarlo Family Theatre Musical for kids 2 to 102
Santa Monica Playhouse (6/06-8/30)
Mandy Keen: MAGGIE in Los Angeles Mandy Keen: MAGGIE
The Stray Theater (6/06-6/18)
 Sierra Madre Playhouse Presents THREE LIVES, Play Written/Performed by Alex Xander Luu, May 22-24 in Los Angeles Sierra Madre Playhouse Presents THREE LIVES, Play Written/Performed by Alex Xander Luu, May 22-24
Sierra Madre Playhouse (5/22-5/22)
17th New Media Film Festival in Los Angeles 17th New Media Film Festival
Culver City Theatre (6/03-6/04) PHOTOS VIDEOS
New York City Ballet   in Los Angeles New York City Ballet
The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (6/24-6/28)
OTR: Provenance in Los Angeles OTR: Provenance
Chance Theater (7/29-7/29)