Born in Portland Oregon, and raised in Lake Oswego Oregon, Kevin Walczyk received a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree from Pacific Lutheran University in 1987 and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of North Texas where he was the recipient of the Hexter Prize for outstanding graduate student. Walczyk’s principal composition instructors have included Larry Austin, Jacob Avshalomov, Thomas Clark, Martin Mailman, and Cindy McTee. As an accomplished jazz arranger and composer, Walczyk refined his craft with prominent jazz arrangers Tom Kubis and Frank Mantooth, and served as arranger for the renowned University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band (1988-89).

Walczyk is currently Professor of music at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon where he teaches composition, orchestration, jazz arranging, film scoring, and media music production. Walczyk’s students have garnered awards that include the BMI Student Composers Awards, the National Band Association’s Young Composers Jazz Composition Contest, the Oregon Symphony Conti-Connection Composition Competition, and the Oregon Symphony Creative Kids Composition Competition. He has served as resident composition instructor and/or guest composer of young composer initiatives with the Oregon Symphony, Portland Youth Philharmonic, the International School of Brussels, Belgium, and the Metropolitan Learning Center of Portland. Walczyk has also served as guest composer at many universities, including Indiana University, University of Oklahoma, Mary Washington University, University of South Carolina, University of North Texas, Oregon State University, Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Kansas, and the Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo. 

His works have been selected for participation by the MidAmerican Center for Contemporary Music at Bowling Green State University, Tutti New Music Festival at Denison University, Ernest Bloch Composers Symposium, College Band Directors National Association (Virginia Chapter) Symposiums XXVI and XXXIII, Southeastern League of Composers, College Music Society, and national conferences of the Society of Composers, Inc., and the North American Saxophone Alliance. His works have been featured throughout Europe, Asia, South America and North America and at new music festivals in the United States, Holland, Belgium, the Ukraine, Japan, Taiwan, and Peru.

Walczyk’s commissions include the Oregon Symphony, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Boston Brass, Third Angle Contemporary Music Ensemble, Master Musicians Collective, Portland Brass Society, Atlantic Brass Quintet, SoundMoves, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Art Abrams Swing Machine Big Band, Portland Youth Philharmonic, Hutchin’s Consort, American Guild of Organists, Institute of Chamber Music, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, horn choirs from the Eastman School of Music and the University of North Texas, and from over 70 bands, including the University of Texas (Austin), Indiana, Michigan State, Florida State, Musashino Academy of Music (Tokyo), Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Northwestern, Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, South Carolina, Nebraska, and the Kansas City Conservatory.

Walczyk’s recordings include Concerto Gaucho – Kiev Philharmonic (ERMMedia vol. 13), Voices From The Water – Czech Philharmonic (ERMMedia vol. 12), Celebration Fanfare – Kiev Philharmonic (ERMMedia vol. 5), Delphic Suite – Portland Youth Philharmonic (Albany Records), Capriccio – Seattle Symphony Orchestra (MMC Recordings, Limited), Octet Comparsas – Hutchins Consort, Celebration Fanfare – Musashino Academia Musicae (Brain Company Limited BOCD-7329); multiple jazz compositions and arrangements by the Art Abrams Swing Machine Big Band (AYA Records); and over 18 recordings for wind band, including the "President's Own" United States Marine Band. Walczyk’s orchestral work, Voices From The Water was nominated for two JPF recording awards: Best Classical Orchestral Album and Best Contemporary Classical Song of the year. To see a complete discography please visit Keveli Music Discography. 

 "Eloi, Eloi" - North Texas Wind Symphony

"Concerto Gaucho" finale - Christopher Martin, Principal Trumpet, New York Philharmonic - Musashino Wind Ensemble, Ray Cramer, Conductor

Academic Honors

• Mario and Alma Pastega Award for Excellence in Teaching (1999)
• Western Oregon University Academic Advisor of the Year (2007)
• NACADA Outstanding Faculty Advising International Certificate of Merit (2009)
• Mario and Alma Pastega Award for Excellence in Scholarship (2015)

Professional Honors

Walczyk’s recent composition honors include election and induction into the American Bandmasters Association (2017), nominations for the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in music composition (2011) and the Grawemeyer Award (2012) while winning the University of Connecticut’s Sackler Prize and the 2012 Big East Conference Band Directors Association Composition Contest. He has received grants from Meet the Composer, Argosy Foundation, American Music Center, and Western Oregon University. He has earned prizes or finalist status from the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble’s Harvey Gaul Competition (commissioning prize), Chamber Orchestra Kremlin’s International-Blitz Competition (2nd Grand Prize), National Band Association’s William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest, College Band Directors National Association, ASCAP, BMI, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Wind Ensemble Composition Competition, three Masterworks of the New Era recording prizes from ERM Media, Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute, Los Angeles Philharmonic Synergy project, the Lionel Hampton Creative Composition Competition, and Pacific Coast College Jazz Festival Merit of Achievement in Composition. Walczyk was selected as the Midwest Clinic 2010 commissioned composer and was selected for a special commission for the 2011 Midwest Clinic international conference.

• MUP 615: Applied Composition
• MUS 511: Contemporary Composition Techniques I
• MUS 512: Contemporary Composition Techniques II
• MUS 513: Contemporary Composition Techniques III
• MUS 514: Jazz Theory
• MUS 515: Jazz Arranging I
• MUS 516: Jazz Arranging II
• MUS 521: Media Music Production I
• MUS 522: Media Music Production II
• MUS 523: Media Music Production III
• MUS 640: College Pedagogy

• MUP 115-215-315-415: Applied Composition
• MUS 160: Notation
• MUS 371: Orchestration I - Woodwinds and Brass
• MUS 372: Orchestration II - Strings
• MUS 373: Orchestration III - Percussion
• MUS 411: Contemporary Composition Techniques I
• MUS 412: Contemporary Composition Techniques II
• MUS 413: Contemporary Composition Techniques III
• MUS 414: Jazz Theory
• MUS 415: Jazz Arranging I
• MUS 416: Jazz Arranging II
• MUS 421: Media Music Production I
• MUS 422: Media Music Production II
• MUS 423: Media Music Production III

Walczyk’s compositions are published by Keveli Music. For all recent and upcoming events, including commissions, recordings, new releases, and RSS feeds, please visit the Keveli Music website. To see a complete discography please visit Keveli Music Discography.

Kennedy Center Performance in Washington DC

Kennedy Center Preparations - University of Kansas

Sackler Prize

NPR Story on Walczyk's Symphony No. 5

Keveli Music Publications