Bio
With influences from a wide variety of styles, Jamie Klenetsky brings a unique take to modern classical composition. A finalist in both the San Fransisco Choral Artist's New Voices Competition and the Karen Sokolof Javitch Composition Competition (Omaha), Jamie's works combine the theatrics of film and the lyricality of vocal music to create something wholly new. Her music spans multiple genres, cultures, and styles.
Jamie Klenetsky was born in 1984 in Freehold, New Jersey. As a child she displayed interest and ability in singing. When she was eight years old she began taking voice and piano lessons, which she continued for the next five years. She grew up listening to all sorts of music, from classic rock and blues to classical and film scores.
In her first year of high school Jamie began composing vocal pop/rock songs for her friends and family, and became a member of many choirs, including the All-State Choir. Realizing her love of written music, she decided to pursue a career in composition. In 2002 she entered Rutgers University as a double-major in music and East Asian studies.
In college Jamie studied under Dr. Matthew Riedel, an electroacoustic composer, who taught her about film scoring, classical composition, recording and arranging. She wrote many pieces for a variety of instruments, including a string "choir" (2 each of violin, viola, cello, and bass), an ensemble inspired by Irish music (featuring a fiddle, piccolo and a bodhran), and both mixed and female choirs. She was also a member of numerous choirs, performing in Carnegie Hall and touring in Newfoundland, Canada and Taiwan.
Upon graduation in 2006, Jamie pursued a career in another field she loves, web design, while focusing strongly on composition. In 2007, Jamie entered five composition competitions, winning second place in two of them and placing in a third. She also began her Song-A-Week podcast project, in which she writes a new song each week and posts it for the world to enjoy. From this, she had utilized electronic music extensively.
Jamie currently lives with her boyfriend in Wharton, NJ, where she works as one of two web designers for the Morris County government. She continues pursuing composition with Song-A-Week and by entering competitions, and is a member of the New York Composers' Circle.
Jamie Klenetsky is a composer from New Jersey. She writes for both classical and electronic instruments, calling herself a “laptop composer” (all work, even classical notation, is done on computer). Combining classical technique with modern styles, with influences from around the world, Jamie strives to compose works that strike at the heart of those listening.
On this site you can hear Jamie’s works, read about her philosophy on music, or listen to her ambitious Song-A-Week podcast, where she posts a newly composed work every week.