Kyle Grimm is a composer and double bassist whose music has been described as "feisty technicolor" (Roger Zahab). His compositions strive to strike a balance between the gritty and the beautiful through juxtaposition, layering, and synthesis; often employing electronics alongside acoustic elements. Improvisations I, a full-length album for double bass and electronics, is currently streaming on all platforms. In addition to the stage, Kyle's works can be heard in the video game Hold the Fort, by Monster Tooth Studios, which is currently on Steam, and the short film The Autumn Waltz, currently on Amazon Prime. When not composing, he enjoys a good happy hour, making obscure The Simpsons references, and spoiling his two cats.

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Kyle's compositions have featured on many different concerts and series, including: CAMPground, Electronic Music Midwest, SEAMUS, SPLICE, Hartford New Music Festival, North American Saxophone Alliance Conference, Uncertainty Music Series, Night Fall (Anne Cubberly, artistic director), Bass+Electronics (Robert Black, curator), Garmany Concert Series, Hartt Electronic Music Concert Series, Border Crossings (Brad Sherman, curator), New Music Now PDX (Andrew Stiefel, curator), Awakenings Concert Series, Hartt Composers Ensemble Concert Series (David Macbride, director), Public Works Concert Series, and Foot in the Door Collaboration Series. He has had his works performed by numerous ensembles and soloists across the country, including: Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble, Kathrine Weintraub, Kamratōn, Iktus percussion quartet, Contemporary Columbus, Ensemble 4Saxess, Hartford New Music Collective, Olivia Harris, Daniel Phipps, Andrey Stolyarov, Benjamin Stayner, Lauren Perala, Foot in the Door, Eugene Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, and Hartt Composers Ensemble.

 

Kyle frequently performs his own works whether they are solo or chamber. Bottled Chaos, a recital of new works for double bass and electronics, was premiered in West Hartford, CT in February 2025. It included two works by Kyle as well as 3 commissioned works by Aaron Wyanski, Maria Kaoutzani, and Ken Steen. In 2017, he performed alongside his colleagues in his multimedia work L'inferno Etudes, based on the 1917 silent film, L'inferno. Kyle is also an advocate for his colleague's works and has been involved in numerous premieres and performances, including: ...of things known and others that are yet to be by Ken Steen, pursuing invariably the same Object envinces a design by Paula Matthusen. He has also played double bass under the direction of Robert Black and David Macbride.

 

Kyle is a two-time recipient of the Sustained Excellence in Part-Time Teaching Award at the University of Hartford. In 2019, he received an artist fellowship from Connecticut Office of the Arts for excellence in his field. He is a Kountz Fund scholar through his exemplary work in the composition department in the 2015-16 school year. In 2014, Kyle was a recipient of the Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grant to help realize his goals of self-promotion and score submissions. Other awards include talent scholarships from The Hartt School (2013-2017) as well as the Graduate Electronic Fellowship and Departmental Assistantship.

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Kyle holds a D.M.A. in Music composition from The Hartt School, where he studied with Robert Carl, David Macbride, Ken Steen and Gilda Lyons, as well as serve as teacher's assistant to Mark Orton for the graduate film scoring seminar.

 

Kyle is currently an Assistant Professor of Music Composition at The Hartt School, University of Hartford.