Composer Kyle Rivera on His Ever-Evolving Musical Perspective

On Friday, June 7, 2024, composer Kyle Rivera shared his ever-evolving musical perspective in the June edition of MacDowell Downtown at The Monadnock Center for History and Culture. Rivera expounded on his musical explorations and process, shared a recording or two of his works for orchestras and ensembles of all sizes, revealing his distinctive approaches to instrumentation.

Rivera has said he is fascinated by visual imagery evoked by sound and the way it can create windows into his mind. He often draws upon the diverse sonic and cultural environments he grew up in to craft the soundscapes of his music, sculpting vivid sonic landscapes that have been influenced by his interests in linguistics, spirituality, and the media.

At MacDowell for his first residency, Rivera composed a piece for saxophone and percussion. The work is part of a series exploring mythologies surrounding demons and malevolent spirits with the goal of interrogating the fears of the unknown, human inadequacy, and the “Other.”

The Yale School of Music graduate, whose works have been performed at numerous classical music festivals and across the U.S. in addition to Russia, Thailand, Hong Kong, and China, has collaborated with the Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival, Yale Philharmonia, Albany Symphony, Musiqa Houston, and other orchestras.

Thanks to all who came to get a glimpse into the creativity of a composer whose work offers a new perspective on classical music. Rivera revealed how his music often reflects his feelings about social justice, equality, and race, while also delving into matters of the conceptual limits of psychology, spirituality, and consciousness in sound.