Composer Kyle Saulnier’s work has been celebrated by Downbeat as “a Great American Songbook of another order." His music has been performed by the Awakening Orchestra, the Metropole Orkest, the Westerlies, the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Louisiana Philharmonic, Saturn People’s Sound Collective, and TURNmusic, among others, and he has scored for television, advertising, and independent film projects. As a performer, Kyle leads and conducts the Awakening Orchestra, and has recently debuted the collaborative ensembles Edna (with Michael Chorney and Jeremy Frederick) and Cleary/Gagnon/Saulnier (with Tom Cleary and Andy Gagnon). He performs on acoustic bass and baritone saxophone, and has premiered new works by Eve Beglarian and Erik Nielsen, and appeared with artists including Moppa Elliott, Kat Wright, Francesca Blanchard, Brian Boyes, Michael Chorney, and LOVECRAFT.

Kyle is the incoming artistic director of the Vermont Jazz Ensemble and the director of the Vermont Youth Symphony’s Jazz Program. He has served as music faculty at Middlebury College, the University of Vermont, Quinnipiac University, and Northern Vermont University, and is active with the visionary Music-COMP mentoring program. He lives in Monkton with his wife, violinist Brooke Quiggins.