About Kyle Rivera

The ever-evolving artistic perspective of Kyle Rivera (b. 1996) makes his music a space for intrigue and exploration. Kyle is fascinated by visual imagery in sound and the way it can create windows into his mind. Sound and time are malleable objects with which he sculpts vivid sonic landscapes. He often draws upon the diverse sonic and cultural environments he grew up in to craft the soundscapes of his music. Interests in linguistics, spirituality, and media all influence the way he creates music. One of Kyle’s goals as an artist is to offer a perspective on the world through his personal experiences. Some of his music has focused on topics relating to social justice, equality, and racialized matters. Alongside that, his music explores the conceptual limits of psychology, spirituality, and consciousness in sound. 

As a composer, his music has been performed across the United States and internationally in Russia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and China. Past collaborations include the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, Yale Philharmonia, Albany Symphony, Musiqa Houston, EnSRQ, Tacet(i), KINETIC Ensemble, and Houston Grand Opera Co. Kyle’s works have been featured at Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and Chelsea Music Festival. He has received honours from Chamber Music America, San Francisco Symphony, and the American Composer’s Forum. Kyle was the Anne Spencer Fellow with the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2023 and he received a 2024 MacDowell Fellowship and an Aaron Copland House Residency.  

Kyle attended the University of Houston and Yale University where he earned the Woods Chandler Memorial Prize. 

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