Kevin Charoensri is a Thai-American composer, pianist, conductor, and arts advocate based in San Diego, CA. Described by The Washington Post as offering a “bristling musical response,” his music seeks to transcend the score, often centering stories from historically marginalized communities, particularly those within the AAPI community. Beyond composition, Kevin is an active public voice for the arts and representation, having appeared on CNN and several podcasts to speak about cultural advocacy and youth leadership in music.
Kevin made his international composing and conducting debut to a full-house at the Sydney Opera House in June of 2018, where he conducted his original work “Return”, receiving recognition from the San Diego Union Tribune. Since then, Kevin has gone on to do several composer residencies at schools such as UCLA, Texas Tech University, University of Delaware, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State Long Beach, The Brooklyn Wind Symphony, and the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble/Concert Band. His works have also been heard in notable concert halls such as The Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, and Cornell’s Bailey Hall. Notable compositions include “Rising Light” - a musical response to the post-COVID Asian hate, which was programmed by the “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band which received national media attention when cancelled by an executive order.
As a passionate educator, Kevin has guest conducted the Pacific Symphony Youth Concert Band and led composition masterclasses at several institutions, including Cal State Fullerton and Texas Tech University, as well as numerous high school clinics. His approach to teaching extends beyond music, emphasizing outreach, mentorship, and self-advocacy. Throughout his educational work in Southern California, Kevin has worked closely with underrepresented students, particularly those from backgrounds similar to his own, empowering the next generation of young artists.
Kevin began his formal compositional education in 2019, participating in the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Summer Festival as one of the select high school students and later being one of seven chosen for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s summer composition program. Additionally, Kevin studied privately with Dr. Jules Pegram and Dr. Dan Temkin. He completed his BM in Music Composition at The University of Texas at Austin under the guidance of Omar Thomas, Dr. Donald Grantham, Dr. Yevgeniy Sharlat . During this time, his compositions were premiered by the University of Texas Bands under Dr. Ryan Kelly and Dr. Cliff Croomes. He also received training in wind conducting under Dr. Mike Lebrias. Additionally, Kevin was the pianist for the University of Texas Jazz Ensemble under Dr. John Mills and studied jazz piano under Dr. Ross Margitza. In Fall 2025, he will pursue his master’s in music composition at Michigan State University, studying with Dr. Zhou Tian and Dr. David Biedenbender.
Kevin’s artistic portfolio spans orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber music, choral works, jazz ensembles, film scores, and popular music. From 2019 - 2021, he contributed to the Los Angeles pop music scene, working as a music producer, ghostwriter, engineer, and social media marketer for multiple artists. His contributions producing and ghost writing compiled in nearly a million streams across several platforms.
At twenty-two, Kevin seeks to blend genres and bridge Asian and American cultures through his music and beyond, hoping to fuse his artistic pursuits with his passion for arts advocacy.
