ABOUT KYLE RIVERA
The music of American composer Kyle Rivera (b. 1996) is dynamic, intriguing, and energetic. Through the use of bold gestures and nuanced effect, he creates musical narratives that are vibrant and compelling. Kyle often draws upon his Caribbean heritage and the diverse cultural environment he grew up to craft the soundscapes of his music. He continually seeks out a wide variety of sonorities in order to explore and convey the human experience.
Kyle is a Connecticut-based composer currently studying at the Yale School of Music towards a Masters in Music Composition. He earned a BM in Music Composition and Viola Performance from the University of Houston with a Minor in Kinesiology. His principal teachers for composition were Katie Balch, Dr. Rob Smith, and David Ludwig. He has also studied composition with Jimmy Lopez, Reiko Fueting, Martin Bresnick, Pierre Jalbert, Christopher Theofanidis, Stephen Hartke, and Don Crockett. Kyle has been a fellow at the Aspen Music Festival where he received the Druckman Prize. He also attended the Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival, Fresh Inc Music Festival, and the Atlantic Music Festival.
As a composer, his music has been performed across the United States and internationally in Russia, the UK, and Thailand. Past collaborations include the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Musiqa Houston, AURA Contemporary Ensemble, KINETIC Ensemble, Houston Grand Opera Co., Fifth House Ensemble, Tacet(i) Ensemble, Opus Illuminate, 10th Wave Chamber Music Collective, the Chelsea Music Festival, and Bent Frequency. Future projects collaborations with the Albany Symphony, Yale Percussion Group, and a commission from the Aspen Music Festival.
Kyle’s goal as an artist is to reach listeners on the most human level as a means to open their hearts to the possibilities of our world. Much of his music has focused on matters relating to social justice, equality, and a hope for positive change in the world. Alongside that, his music explores the conceptual limits of psychology, spirituality, and consciousness in sound.