His body of composition spans 27 years, though consistently explores his fascination with both Anglo-Saxon texts (from The Exeter Book) and the natural world.
He enrolled at Durham University in 1979 to read for a Master of Arts degree, but eventually left without submitting a thesis after struggling with writer's block.
[2] In 1992, he returned to education (the decision to leave Durham having 'plagued him' for some time) and began doctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh.
[4] Keenan's Concerto for Groups of Instruments won the 1977 Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize.
His pioneering approach to electro-acoustic composition and research into sound phenomenon earned him the description as "the man who split music's atom".