Kevin Walczyk

Portland native and PYP alumnus, Kevin Walczyk, received the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of North Texas where he received the Hexter Prize for outstanding graduate student and served as arranger for the renowned University of North Texas One O'clock Lab Band.

Walczyk's works have been commissioned and/or recorded by organizations that include the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Kiev Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Ukraine National Symphony, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, and consortium-commissioning projects comprising over 70 university and conservatory wind ensembles. His works have been performed throughout the world and at new music festivals in the United States, Holland, Belgium, Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Taiwan, and Peru. His works are recorded on labels by Naxos, Albany Records, CRI, ERMMedia, Master Musicians’ Recordings, Innova, GIA, Klavier, Summit, Parma, and AYA.

Nominated for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in music and the 2012 Grawemeyer Award, Walczyk’s honors include the 2012 Sackler Composition Prize, Chamber Orchestra Kremlin International Blitz competition, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble’s Harvey Gaul Prize, National Band Association’s William D. Revelli Composition Award, and Big East Conference Band Director’s Association Composition Contest. He has received grants from Meet the Composer, Argosy Foundation, and the American Music Center. His guest-composer residencies include the Oregon Symphony, Indiana University, University of Oklahoma, University of South Carolina, University of North Texas, Northwestern University, University of Connecticut, Oregon State University, and the University of Kansas.

Walczyk is Professor of composition at Western Oregon University, where he has taught since 1995.