Composer and conductor Kyle Wernke’s music is “imaginative and infectious” (Michael Schelle) and “exemplifies all that is right with quality new music” (Douglas Knehans). His work explores dynamic, tonal, and textural extremes – often in rapid succession. Wernke’s music has been performed across the United States and around the world. His 2017 work Burst was recorded by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra for Ablaze Records’ “Orchestral Masters Vol. 6.” Burst went on to be performed by the Tampa Bay Symphony and the Musique en Seine Orchestre in Paris; France and won the American Prize in Composition in 2023. His 2021 Pulitzer Prize nominated cantata, Da Vinci at the River, was commissioned by Missouri University of Science and Technology in honor of the university’s 150th Anniversary. Kyle was an Assistant Professor of Music, Director of Orchestras, and Composer-in-Residence at Missouri S&T from 2017-2024. Wernke is currently an Assistant Professor of Music at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA where he directs the Lehigh University Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches composition. He lives in Hellertown, PA with his wife, violist Lauren Perala; their dogs Luna and Buttercup; and their three cats Pearl, Nubbins, and Sawadee. Wernke’s music is published through the American Composers Alliance and Just A Theory Press. You can find more information at his website: www.kylewernke.com.