Biography in Short

John Kevin Starosta, a composer and music pedagogue, was born 1969 in Akron, Ohio. At the age of 7 his family relocated to Tampa, Florida where he attended high school and worked in various construction jobs. After high school he joined an electric company and attended a vocational technical school where he studied industrial electricity. In 1991, while working as an electrician, Starosta began private voice lessons with prominent voice coach Al Koehn, followed by more extensive study in applied voice with opera singer and vocalogist, Eric Dillner. Driven by an interest in drama and musical theatre, Starosta later transitioned into ballet and modern dance where he had the opportunity to study under instructors fluent in Cecchetti, Graham, Limon, and Weidman techniques. This provided him with a comprehensive knowledge and deep appreciation for classical dance. 

In 1997, Starosta moved to Columbus, Ohio, where under the tutelage of John Funk Lancaster, he studied classical piano, 18th century counterpoint and piano pedagogy. Lancaster's and Starosta's enthusiasm primarily dwelt on the pedagogical arts and the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical genres. In addition to piano technique, their lessons included quality of literature, editing and aspects of troubleshooting processes. By this time, Starosta had begun acquiring private students while simultaneously developing teaching methods of his own.

In 2002, Starosta completed his studies in music theory and 20th century composition with emphasis on serialism and twelve tone techniques. At this time he had begun studying under Craig Bove, a former pupil of contemporary music composer Morton Feldman. While adhering to Feldman's practice of "slow evolving music with asymmetrical patterns," Bove and Starosta explored further the notion of composing in a somewhat effortless mind state, allowing the music to unfold and develop naturally during the writing process.

Continuing to apply these concepts, Starosta began viewing his compositions as sound puzzles, where every consciously composed sound has its precise placement. 

Starosta's work has been performed throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. He has been fortunate to have collaborated with distinguished musicians such as Anatoly Larkin, Sylvia Hinz, George Kokkinaris and Bonnie Thron, among others. He currently resides between Asheville, North Carolina and Chicago, Illinois and continues to teach private lessons in composition, music theory and piano. His recent works in progress are "Contemplatives," a series of short studies on reflection, and "GJ1214b," a work for percussion ensemble.