EJ Donkin is a Northeast Ohio composer, educator, and pianist focused on creating evocative, rhythmically-inventive music. Her most recent project has been serving as a Composer-in-Residence at the University of Akron Jazz Fest in April of 2024, where she had the honor to write and direct four newly commissioned works for the UAkron big band. A featured composer at the 2021 and 2023 International Trombone Festival Composer’s Workshops and a 2022 Impulse New Music Festival Call for Scores Finalist, she has collaborated with musicians across the world. She currently teaches music theory at Youngstown State University, and works as a Worship Arts Director in Northeast Ohio. She has worked with performers and ensembles such as Martha Kato, Transient Canvas, Hub New Music, Daniel Ramjattan, the Danjo Jazz Orchestra, Naoko Tsujita, and many more. EJ is an active performer in the Akron/Cleveland area, and plays regularly with the NEO Jazz Orchestra and the Danjo Jazz Orchestra. She constantly feels lucky to know and play with so many wonderful musicians and people, and loves every chance she gets to make music with them.
EJ earned her MM in 2021 from the University of Akron under Dr. Jamie Wilding and Dr. Robert Brownlow, and her BM in 2018 from Youngstown State University under Dr. David Morgan.
The Lighthouse Keeper
Composed June 2021 – Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello
From the composer: “The Lighthouse Keeper is a gift for my family; as a kid I used to tell stories to my siblings as we went to sleep, and the twists and turns of the piece reflect the twists of the stories (sometimes comical, sometimes serious). The Lighthouse Keeper was a recurring character with a humorous spirit (and a bit of a penchant for the dramatic). I chose to submit this piece because it means a lot to me personally, and I also very much enjoy the moods and character shifts throughout it.“