Kenneth Dempster

Ken Dempster serves as Composer in Residence and Lecturer in Music at Edinburgh Napier University's School of Arts and Creative Industries. He teaches composition, orchestration, and ensemble performance while conducting the Edinburgh Napier Chamber Orchestra and Contemporary Music Ensemble.

His educational background includes training at Edinburgh Napier University, the Royal Academy of Music in London (where he received multiple composition prizes and scholarships), and Yale University where he studied with Jacob Druckman, Martin Bresnick, Louis Andriessen, Earle Brown and Frederic Rzewski. He further studied with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and James MacMillan through the Scottish Chamber Orchestra's Course for Young Composers.

Mr. Dempster's research focuses on composition, orchestration, and conducting with specialized expertise in telematic performance technologies (LoLa and VisiMeet), community music initiatives, and collaborative music-theatre productions. His creative work spans educational projects with organizations including NYOS: Futures, University of Salford, and Lung Ha's Theatre Company.

His compositions have attracted significant recognition including the Cornelius Cardew Composition Prize and Creative Scotland Award, with commissions from prestigious ensembles such as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Emperor Quartet, St Magnus Festival, and Scottish Chamber Choir for special occasions including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' 70th birthday and George Mackay Brown's memorial.

As an educator, he supervises PhD students (including Stuart Mitchell's completed thesis 'Voice, and verse': Exploring the salience of text in the communication of newly composed music), teaches across multiple institutions, and directs community music programs like Junior Napier Music for 12-18 year-olds. He is affiliated with the Applied Music Research Centre and maintains active roles in both academic and community music contexts.