The Dean’s Fellowship is the most prestigious award offered by the Graduate School effective for the 2021-2022 academic year. As a composer, Kevin’s music has been “characterized by propulsive, syncopated rhythms, colorful orchestration, and instrumental virtuosity,” (Robert Kirzinger, Boston Symphony Orchestra) and he has quickly emerged as one of the leading young voices in the world of music composition today
In commenting on attending Frost in the fall, Kevin stated: "I'm looking forward to starting my DMA in Composition this fall, as well as continuing my studies as a jazz pianist. Frost is a vibrant community full of diverse musical experiences and ideas, and I'm excited to get immersed into what the school has to offer. I'm also grateful to be a recipient of the Dean's Fellowship and I can't wait to start connecting with my professors and colleagues.”
“We were pleased to award Kevin the Dean’s Fellowship and Teaching Assistantship Award,” states Charles Mason, Chair, Dept. of Composition at the Frost School. “Kevin represents one of those unique individuals who is extremely gifted and accomplished and yet is humble and has an eagerness to learn. His compositions have already received performances by professional ensembles including the Detroit Symphony and the Boston Symphony Orchestra! According to Dr. Rob Carnochan, director of the Frost Wind Ensemble (FSW), Kevin is already a household name in the Wind Ensemble World and the FSW will be premiering his Concerto for Wind Ensemble, a consortium commission, this year.”
Kevin was also recently selected by the NJSO Cone Composition Institute as one of four emerging composers of 2021. As part of the July 19 – 24th events, Kevin’s composition Tango Oscuro was performed by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
"My experience with the New Jersey Symphony Cone Institute was amazing and very helpful to me as a composer “ states Kevin. “It was a thrill to work with composer Steven Mackey, conductor Ludovic Morlot, and the musicians of the NJSO on working through and revising my composition Tango Oscura and learning more about composition techniques. As a composer, hearing your music go from the computer screen to live performers is always an eye-opening experience, and I'm honored I was able to be part of this program."
More about Kevin Day
Kevin Day is a composer, conductor, producer, and multi-instrumentalist on tuba, euphonium, jazz piano, and more, whose music often intersects between the worlds of jazz, minimalism, Latin music, fusion, and contemporary classical idioms. Day currently serves as the Composer-In-Residence of the Mesquite Symphony Orchestra.
A winner of the BMI Student Composer Award and other honors, Day has composed over 200 works and has had numerous performances throughout the United States, Russia, Austria, Australia, Taiwan, South Africa, and Japan. His works have been programmed by the Boston Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, Fresno Philharmonic, and more. He was also selected as the 3rd Prize winner of the 2020 New Classics International Young Composer Contest of the Moscow Conservatory. His works have also been performed at Carnegie Hall, Rachmaninov Hall (Russia), The Midwest Clinic, TMEA, and other major venues. Day has collaborated with the likes of Jens Lindemann, Demondrae Thurman, and Jeremy Lewis on concertos for their respective instruments, as well as chamber ensembles like Ensemble Dal Niente, The Puerto Rican Trombone Ensemble, The Zenith Saxophone Quartet, The Tesla Quartet, and many more
