About Kalden

Kalden is an award-winning composer and pianist based in the NYC area whose works have been premiered in film festivals and by Grammy winning artists. His score for the short film “Rein” won selection at the Lift-Off Global Film Festival in 2023 and his rescore of the Polish animated horror short film, “The Gentle Spirit” was praised by notable figures including Robert Eggers and John Corigliano. He has an exceptional prowess for virtual instrument orchestration, leading him to win 2nd place in Orchestral Tools’ Virtual String Competition 2023, be invited as a guest composer on The Cue Tube podcast, and be highlighted in V for Virtual Orchestra Youtube channel in 2024. He has written in a wide range of genres spanning from classical, jazz, metal, funk, indie, big band, and more, with concert music having been performed by such notable ensembles as The Horzowski Trio, Neave Trio, Harvard Du Bois Orchestra, and Mother Superior.

 

As a pianist, Kalden won 1st place at the Crescendo International Piano Competition in 2015, proceeding to give his performance at Carnegie Hall later that year. He has since performed in concert halls including Jordan Hall, Pickman Hall, Sanders Theatre, and The Musical Hall. He was appointed orchestral pianist in the Harvard University Du Bois orchestra in 2017 and won Best Performance in the Honors Competition at his undergraduate alma mater that same year.

 

Kalden holds degrees from the Longy School of Music of Bard College, Emerson College, and Montclair State University, receiving the Margaret Rhodes award for outstanding achievement in music theory in 2019 and winning Composer of The Year in 2022. He has been an invited guest lecturer at Granite State College and University of New Hampshire while also having taught undergraduate music theory and aural skills at Montclair State University and in public schools in New Jersey.