Congratulations to Eastman alumnus Austin Keck ’22E, ’24E (MM) for being named a 2026 recipient of the BMI Foundation’s Pete Carpenter Fellowship. Created for aspiring film, television, and video game composers, this annual, competitive residency includes a monetary award, intensive in-studio mentorship with established composers in Los Angeles and New York, and the opportunity to consult with other distinguished leaders in the entertainment industry.
Keck, an accomplished percussionist and composer, specializes in contemporary solo and chamber music. His ensemble work includes performances with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic, as well as appearances at venues including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Royal Academy of Music. He has collaborated with and premiered works by renowned composers and performed internationally with the World Percussion Group and Eastman Percussion Ensemble, which performed the premier of his composition, Passage to an Uncharted World, at the 2022 Percussive Arts Society International Convention.
As an educator, Keck regularly visits schools and universities around the world, holding clinics and masterclasses and providing coaching on his own works and contemporary percussion performances.
Keck holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a minor in Audio and Music Engineering, as well as a Master of Music degree in Contemporary Media and Film Composition from the Beal Institute at the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the esteemed Performer’s Certificate.