Kyle Wernke

Biography

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 around the world. His 2017 orchestral tour-de-force 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 Orchestra in Paris, France. Burst won the American Prize in Orchestral Composition in 2022.

Wernke’s music has been performed by some of the finest new music ensembles in the world including HYPERCUBE, Members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), members of the Mivos Quartet, and members of Ensemble Signal. 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. At Lehigh he directs the Lehigh University Philharmonic Orchestra and teaches courses in music composition, music history, and music theory. He lives in the Lehigh Valley 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.