Kevin Wilt (b. 1984 in Detroit, Michigan) began studying music at age ten, quickly finding a balance between classical and popular repertoire, performing on both piano, synthesizers, and percussion. His adventures in composition began by writing arrangements that he programmed into his keyboard. In 2006, he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Music Composition from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where he studied with James Hartway. He completed his Masters Degree in Music Composition at Michigan State University, under Jere Hutcheson and Charles Ruggiero, and is currently finishing his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition with Ricardo Lorenz.
His music has been performed throughout the United States by beginning musicians up to professionals of the highest caliber. Recently, his music was recorded by members of the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra as part of the NYU/ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop. He has received commissions from organizations across Michigan, including the Frost Middle School Concert Orchestra, the Anchor Bay High School Chorale, and numerous university soloists, chamber groups, and large ensembles. Upcoming projects include a reading of Song of the Phoenix by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the premiere of Nevermore by the Indiana University Concert Band, as well as several other chamber music premieres at the MSU College of Music.
Aside from composing concert works, Mr. Wilt has provided scores for many locally produced films, earning him a Michigan Emmy® Award Nomination for Best Musical Composition. He has scored several MSU-produced documentaries for the series Environment, and collaborated with fellow composer Matthew Schoendorff on the theme music for The Indie Film Show. In addition, Wilt has scored films produced by Detroit-area filmmakers, including A Little Knowledge – winner of the Detroit 2009 48 Hour Film Challenge – which will be screened in Las Vegas at Filmapalooza; part of the National Association of Broadcasters conference.
In addition to being an active composer, he is the Music Director and Organist at Peace Presbyterian Church, Adjunct Professor of Music at Oakland Community College, Percussion and Theory Instructor at the Wayne State University Weekend School of Music, and a Teaching Assistant in the Music Theory Department of the MSU College of Music.
He is a member of The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), The American Music Center (AMC), The Film Music Network (FMN), and the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). His works are published exclusively by the Whistling Vine Publishing Company.