Russ Kendall, Composer

RussKendallRuss Kendall began his musical path after receiving his first ukulele at age seven and his first guitar at age twelve. For over 30 years, Russ has enjoyed composing and playing music of all kinds. It was his pursuit of discovering new and different music that led him to create music forThe Woodland Elves.

The songs he created are impressively spontaneous and diverse. His musical vision takes you on an unexpected and irresistible creative journey. His multilayered songs are a kaleidoscope of sounds that burst into visual scenes. They make you laugh. They make you cry.

This self-trained improvisational composer has a versatility that allows him to be a babbling brook one minute and a super-hero-cat the next. He created the peaceful music for the walk through the woods and nighttime in the tree house. His technical mastery of mixing sounds allows the forest to come alive with chirping crickets and hooting owls joining in at just the right moments. Russ’s songs reflect the fantasy of childhood and transport listeners to places they’ve never experienced.

As the story of the woodland elves evolved, so did the music. The musical team of Russ Kendall and Shary Williamson was inspired by the elf characters themselves to write music and lyrics to accompany the book. Their music has a charm and intrigue that is fun, but not frivolous, and substantive enough to affect our intellect, our emotions and our physical reactions. Together, they see things through the eyes of a child, creating contagious joy.

Russ works in the communication industry in central Ohio. He spends much of his free time in his home studio creating blues, jazz, contemporary and children’s music.

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