Ken Elias

Kenneth Elias

I was born in Los Angeles, California.  I attended public school, and completed two years at the U.S.C. School of Music in Los Angeles before dropping out to join the hippie movement.

In 1967 at age 21 I moved into Synanon, the original live-in self-help community for people with addiction problems. Synanon went through many changes over the years, becoming a social movement, and a religion.  There was an abundance of artistic and musical creative energy in that community, and I was fortunate to build good friendships with many fine musicians some of which I still enjoy to this day.  Over the years I composed many songs celebrating the best parts of that experience living in community.  I also wrote a cantata for band and choir and a few pieces of chamber music.  Like many musicians throughout the world my vocation was not music.  It was for me something better: my avocation. I had the good fortune to play and  compose strictly for the love of it and the people.

My vocation was plumber, electrician, maintenance mechanic, and computer programmer.  I loved all those jobs just as much as the music.  To this day I can't go for very long without building or fixing something.  It's my grounding, my home base. I lived in that community for twenty-five years until it ceased operations.

In 1992 my wife Sarah Shena and I moved to Three Rivers, California, where we still live today.  I now help out two local Three Rivers organizations, the Three Rivers Performing Arts Institute, and Center Stage Strings Summer Music Camp, with piano tuning and technical services.  And the last several years I've been fortunate to have some of my current original works performed live at the Three Rivers Performing Arts Winter Concert Series by some marvelous young musicians.