Sunny Knable composer/performer/educator/author
photo by Sara Pettinella
F E A T U R E D R E V I E W S
“[Knable's Wave/Particle] resonated clearly with the audience." —Casper Koeller, Sceneblog.dk, August 2026
“What is striking is the extreme parsimony in the use of means (harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, timbric) to achieve maximum formal cohesion and narrative effectiveness.” —Marco Paolucci, Kathodik Webzine, October 2024
“Mr. Knable is a creator of accessible, attractive, well-crafted works [that] explore rapid, rhythmic textures with exciting interchange among the parts.”
-Frank Daykin, NY Concert Review, June 2022
“What impresses me the most is Knable's keen discretion in striking a balance between two often elusive goals, creating communication that is direct without writing down to the audience.”
-Todd Gorman, American Record Guide, July/August 2020
"Knable clearly understands the bassoon’s vast possibilities beyond its traditional instrumental setting. His compositional expertise grounds his explorative instrumental creations and answers his own question 'Why does this work have to exist?' Because it is great!"
-Tiina Kiik, The WholeNote, May/June 2020
“The genius of [36 Views of Mount Fuji] is the singularity of subject. Each of the 36 short movements are strung together by a common harmonic language and by the shared trait of Fuji. This shared subject allows for a sense of immense scale and provides a unique perspective from every movement. Natsuki Fukasawa navigated these changing moods and perspectives with ease and commitment. She would enjoy a spritely, whimsical character one moment, only to jolt us back to life with a tempestuous flurry of notes.”
-Colin Roshak, Anchorage Press, November 2019
"This [nice jazzy vibe] continues with 'Glassworks' by pianist/composer Sunny Knable. The exact title reference to Philip Glass is very intentional; this work having been written for a different trio in Glass’s seventy-fifth birthday year. Each of the five one-minute movements reflects a different “state of glass” but, save some minimalist noodlings, sounds not at all like Phil Glass. This is another very light and entertaining work."
-Daniel Coombs, Audiophile Audition, February 2016
“The Magic Fish [is composed] in a witty style with lovely melodic music by composer Sunny Knable…[whose] music is romantic and lilting.”
-Victor Gluck, TheaterScene.net, October 2015
"Lately, the group Citywater has been keen on embracing the work of Sacramentan and New York-based composer Sunny Knable. And it was with the premiere of his "Music of the Rails" that this bright sextet offered up its greatest charms on Sunday... it was an impressive work whose music offered up sparks of color and inventiveness."
-Edward Ortiz, Sacramento Bee, November 2010
2 0 2 6 E V E N T S
D E C
16
Conductor James Minnix and the CCSU Concert Band will premiere Knable's new work, Hardware City, based on the day in the life of a Polish factor worker. New Britain, CT
N O V
7
Harpsichordist Faythe Vollrath performs Knable's Sonata 1776 on her "America at 250" recital at St. John's in the Village, NYC
A U G
16
The Andersen-Christie duo performs an all-new music recital on synaesthesia, ritual, and sound healing, including Knable's Wave/Particle
Copenhagen, Denmark
J U L
12
The Golden Williams Duo performs new works on environmental themes, including Knable's The Hole: a neighborhood in watercolors.
Maple Grove Cemetery, NY
M A Y
5
The CCSU Chorale premieres a new work by Knable, with Gaylon Robinson conducting:
hallucination of a dying friend.
New Britain, CT
A P R
26
The Rule of Three performs with Metropolis Ensemble, an all-new-works recital, including Knable's The Death of a Centaur
1 Rivington St, NYC
N E W S
The Greek-based Galan Trio will be premiering a new work written entitled The Three Fates, based on the Greek myth, and taking it on a Northeast tour in the Spring of 2027 at Central Connecticut State University, Clark University, Nazareth University, Roger Williams University, University of Hartford, University of Rhode Island, Queens College, and Yale University.
Knable's third composition album, "Keys",
featuring harpsichordist Faythe Vollrath, marimbist Matthew Lau, and Sunny Knable on piano, was released on Trouvère Records in 2022.
Knable's saxophone quartet, Cobalt Blue(s) (2019), was recorded and released by Cobalt Saxophone Quartet. Pick up a copy here.