Kevin Lyons, Trumpet

Trumpeter Kevin Lyons hails from Clinton Mississippi, and has long had a dual passion for both classical and jazz music. After receiving his early training in Mississippi and at Louisiana State University, Mr. Lyons attended the Cleveland Institute of Music where he studied with Michael Sachs and James Darling and earned his Bachelors Degree in Music Performance. During that time he was awarded the Bernard Aldestein Award in Trumpet and was a participant at the Aspen Music Festival.

After conservatory life, he went on the road for two years playing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, touring the U.S., Canada, Japan, the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. Upon returning to the U.S., Mr. Lyons landed in his current home of Atlanta, Georgia, where he won positions of Associate Principal Trumpet with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as Principal Trumpet of the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Greenville (SC) Symphony, the Georgia Symphony and the Columbus (GA) Symphony. He has been featured as soloist with the Georgia Symphony, the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, the Gwinnett Philharmonic and the Atlanta Community Orchestra.

Mr Lyons’ playing can be heard on a number of major label recordings with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and with artists such as Sinead O’Connor, Matchbox Twenty, and John Driscoll Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band. Mr. Lyons is a founding member of the funk band Bumpin the Mango and is a member of the Joe Gransden Big Band. He can be regularly seen throughout Atlanta and the Southeast’s jazz and live music venues, having been a side man for artists such as Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Frankie Valli and Peter Frampton. Mr Lyons can often be found playing both at Carnegie Hall and the Blue Note Jazz Club in the same season. His chamber ensemble credits include founding memberships of Il Brasso Magnifico and Atlanta Brassworks. He has performed in featured ensembles at the conferences of the International Trumpet Guild, International Trombone Association and International Tuba Euphonium Association.

Mr. Lyons also enjoys playing with other classical ensembles and has joined the Cleveland Orchestra for a European tour and been Guest Principal Trumpet for the Malaysia Philharmonic, Nu Deco Ensemble and the Miami City Ballet Orchestra.

In his downtime, Kevin enjoys playing a great round of golf, going fishing or racing his BMWs.