Bio
Kevin Leysath II is an award-winning composer, saxophonist, and conductor based in New York City, originally from Rochester, NY. He received the 2023 Music Composition and Instrumental Conducting Award at Nazareth University and won the IX Annual Composition Competition for his piece Yasuke. Kevin is the recipient of the 2024 ASCAP Foundation Jimmy Van Heusen Award, recognizing a promising composer pursuing a career in television and film scoring.
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Specializing in music for screen and stage, Kevin is celebrated for his emotive, multilayered compositions and memorable themes, often described as bittersweet and stoic. Whether collaborating with directors or orchestras, his music strives to tell powerful stories. A transformative moment at age six, when a movie score moved him to tears, inspired Kevin’s lifelong mission to evoke deep emotions through music.
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Recently, Kevin collaborated with award-winning filmmaker Chad B. Hamilton on Way Back Home (Audience Award, Columbia University Film Festival) and Derek Grayson on Death & Bliss (Montclair Film Festival). He also served as music editor and composer assistant for Tammy Ari on National Geographic’s For Winter.
Kevin’s concert works have been performed by groups such as the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Nazareth University Wind Symphony, Saxophone Society, McDuffie Center for Strings, Cordancia Chamber Orchestra, Bernadette Quartet, and the Irondequoit String Orchestra.
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Currently pursuing a master’s degree in Music Theory & Composition: Screen Scoring at NYU Steinhardt, Kevin studies under Alba Torremocha and Shruti Kumar. He earned his B.M. in Music Composition at Nazareth University, where he studied with Octavio Vazquez and Diana Rosenblum.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect!!
585-775-5531