Owen started songwriting at a young age. He attended the Berklee College of Music summer program as a high school student where his song “I Wanted You” was selected as a songwriting contest winner. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue his songwriting career and earned a Master of Music in Guitar Performance at the University of Southern California. He recorded his first album with the Bissonette Brothers (Don Henley, Ringo Starr), and performed at many of the L.A. stages such as Genghis Cohen, The Skirball Center, and Kulak’s Woodshed.

He moved to Denver in 2008 and formed the Owen Kortz Trio which sold out many local shows. He co-wrote “Go Big or Go Home” with Tiffany Vartanyan (Demi Lovato, Maddie & Tae) which was featured in the first season of the TV show Heartland. In 2015, Owen performed with Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic at Governor Hickenlooper’s inauguration ceremony at the Ogden Theatre in Denver, CO.

Owen was on the music faculty at the University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) for 14 years, where he co-founded the Singer/Songwriter degree and LYNX Camps, a summer music program for high school students. He received the TIAA Chancellor’s Urban Engaged Scholars award for creating a music studio for unhoused youth and forming a partnership between the shelter and CU Denver Recording Arts students.

In 2022, Owen moved to Vancouver, Washington and continues to write, perform, and release music, and teach privately. He co-founded the Clark County Battle of the Bands for teens, giving young performers an opportunity to play on a professional stage and gain music industry skills. Over the years, he has released five albums, available on all streaming platforms.