"...a thorough understanding of the works of past masters, true passion, an aesthetic gift towards artistic creation, and a vision that allows him to confidently and unapologetically forge music into the future..."
Edward Anderson
NOLA Art House Music
New Orleans, Louisiana
With a truly singular voice in a critical musical age, composer and multi-instrumentalist Kyle Saulnier brings a well-informed, genre-bending aesthetic to everything he touches. Heavily influenced by and involved in a wide range of styles and methodologies, his focus on unique music and creative composition governs his artistic choices across the board.
Raised in Connecticut, Kyle holds a dual Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Composition and Music Business & Management from the Berklee College of Music, and a Master's Degree from the Manhattan School of Music in Jazz Composition. He has studied composition with masters including Michael Abene, David Liebman, Michael Patterson, Phil Wilson, and Dr. Mark Kilstofte. A baritone saxophone specialist, he performs regularly on all saxophones, clarinets, and flute, and can frequently be seen on the indie rock and singer-songwriter scenes as an accomplished electric bassist. Additionally, he is a frequent conductor of large jazz- and studio-based ensembles, and has several production credits to his name as well.
Kyle leads and conducts the Awakening Orchestra, an epic 20-piece avant-garde ensemble, and co-leads the elastic-hybrid-chamber-pop supergroup alice., and is also a regular member of a handful of creatively-led ensembles, including Russ Kaplan's RK+6 and singer-songwriter Sasha Papernik. He has written for the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, National Geographic Television, and countless other projects. Currently Kyle lives in New York City with his wife, violinist Brooke Quiggins.
"... a lot of talent as a writer... Great potential!!"
David Liebman
[about the Awakening Orchestra] "...impressively tight, executing Kyle's demanding music with sensitivity, grace and pinpoint precision..." [about Kyle] "...likely to reach for the jarring juxtapositions, abrupt transitions, extreme contrasts... the results are very hip, personable, and refreshing..."
Darcy James Argue
"Conversely, an intimate and at times tender conversation between two violins was achieved in New York composer Kyle Saulnier's duo... charming and compelling."
Jim Lowe, Barre-Montpelier Times Argus
"All of the compositions were interesting and well crafted... a great ear for orchestration. I look forward to much more of [his] music."
Laurie Frink
"The album... showcases the abrasive panache of NYC's avant-jazz composer/arranger Kyle Saulnier, adding just the right element of dissonant squawk to Riccio's satirical roadmap for the nocturnal patterns of the bar-hopping elite."
anonymous reviewer
Natalie Riccio's How to Fail a Fantasy
"It was a big, bold band, Saulnier conducting in wide, aggressive gestures and the band powering through his music."
Pat Donaher, VisionSong
