Tyler Kline
Tyler Kline (b. 1991; he/him) is a composer, audio engineer, and radio broadcaster whose music has been described as crafting inventive sound worlds (Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review) and achieving a delicate balance of intensity and grace (The Road to Sound). Deeply influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi – which embraces impermanence, imperfection, and transience – Tyler’s music often explores the subtle poetry of things falling apart or slipping from view. He employs extended techniques to obscure texture, silence and rhythmic dissonance to fracture time, and fleeting gestures to evoke memory and the natural world.
His work spans chamber, orchestral, electroacoustic, and solo forms, and has been performed across the United States and in 18 countries, including Japan, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. He is also active as a collaborator beyond traditional music circles, having worked with chefs, dancers, and writers, and is especially drawn to alternative models of concert presentation that foster intimacy, informality, and cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Recent compositions include West of the Sun (2019), an orchestral work inspired by the surreal and melancholic writing of Haruki Murakami; liveoak (2020), a solo clarinet piece that maps the fractal growth of a tree through microtonality and multiphonics; Rebirth: An Eternal Grove (2021), a string quartet commissioned by Tokyo-based ensemble musicGROVE; and TATTOO (2025), a solo piano meditation on nostalgia, memory, and the elasticity of musical time.
Tyler’s music has been presented at festivals and conferences around the world, including the World Saxophone Congress (Spain), European Clarinet Congress (Italy), ClarinetFest (Ireland), and the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra Eléctrica Contemporánea (Chile). In the U.S., his music has appeared at events such as the Penn State New-Music Festival and Symposium, International Trombone Festival, University of Louisville Guitar Festival, and the Music Teachers National Association Conference. His music has been released on labels including Neuma Records and Ravello Records.
His work has been recognized by ASCAP, the Hillsborough Arts Council (Tampa, FL), and the Ohio Arts Council, most recently earning a 2024 Ohio Individual Excellence Award in Music Composition. In 2025, he was awarded a Special Prize in the 5th Ise-Shima International Composition Competition for his solo piano work TATTOO. His upcoming residencies through 2026 include the Bischoff Inn Micro-Residency (Pennsylvania, USA), Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences (Georgia, USA), NES Artist Residency (Iceland), and Studio Kura (Japan).
Beyond composing, Tyler is committed to nurturing the work of living composers through curation, dialogue, and broadcast. He is the founder of Loose Leaf Transmissions, a media platform rooted in the ethos of public radio, specializing in high-quality storytelling for both digital and broadcast audiences. Its flagship podcast, music/Maker, features conversations with composers and artists about process, philosophy, and path. Tyler also hosts and produces Living Classical with Tyler Kline, a nationally syndicated radio program airing on ten stations across the U.S. and streaming on Mixcloud, offering weekly deep dives into adventurous and emotionally resonant music by today’s composers. From 2019 to 2025, he was the host and producer of Modern Notebook, a nationally syndicated program that featured more than 2,000 works by over 1,000 composers, with a strong emphasis on underrepresented voices.
Originally from rural Kentucky, Tyler earned his Bachelor of Arts from Morehead State University, where he studied euphonium and held a multi-year undergraduate research fellowship. He received his Master of Music in Composition from the University of South Florida, studying with Dr. Baljinder Sekhon.
Tyler lives in Cincinnati with his wife, Susanna, who is also a composer, and their cat, Tofu. He is drawn to travel and considers it the most thrilling aspect of being alive. He’s a curious, enthusiastic eater who gravitates toward unfamiliar or experimental dishes, and he enjoys documenting his life and travels on 35mm film.
