Kevin Puts

Kevin Puts, who was appointed director of the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute in 2014, is one of America’s leading composers, gaining international acclaim for his “plush, propulsive” music (The New York Times) and described by Opera News as  “a master polystylist.” He has been commissioned and performed by leading organizations around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Opera Philadelphia and Minnesota Opera and has collaborated with artists such as Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Marin Alsop, among others.

The Minnesota Orchestra commissioned and premiered Puts’ Sinfonia concertante in 2006 and has since performed his Heartland, Inspiring Beethoven, Symphony No. 4, From Mission San Juan; Two Mountain Scenes; Millennium Canons; and Rivers Rush. He has made a mark on the Orchestra’s Composer Institute over the last decade, selecting compositions, building the program and mentoring the next generation of composers.

In March 2022 Puts’ fourth opera, The Hours, had its world premiere on the concert stage by the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Nézet-Séguin and was hailed as a “historic event...with a lush orchestration that hits you in the solar plexus." (The Philadelphia Inquirer). The Hours premiered to sold-out houses as a fully staged production at the Metropolitan Opera in November 2022 starring sopranos Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and was called "a stunning triumph" by Variety Magazine. The opera's revival in May 2024 played to packed houses and marked the first instance in the Metropolitan Opera's history of a work returning the season after its premiere. Other highlights of 2022 included the west-coast premiere of The Brightness of Light featuring Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. Written for Time for Three, his triple concerto Contact had its world-premiere in March 2022 with the Florida Orchestra and continues to receive performances around the world.  A recording of the piece by the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Xian Zhang was released on the Deutsche Grammophon album "Letters for the Future" and was awarded "Best Contemporary Classical Composition" at the 2023 Grammy® Awards. Puts was named Musical America's Composer of the Year in 2024.

Puts’ breakthrough opera Silent Night—for which he was awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize following its 2011 premiere by Minnesota Opera—has been heralded as “remarkable” (The New York Times) and “stunning’ (Twin Cities Examiner). In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, Puts has received numerous honors and awards for composition. Since 2006, he has been a member of the composition faculty at the Peabody Institute, and he served as distinguished visiting composer at the Juilliard School in the 2024-2025 academic year. 

All works of Kevin Puts are published worldwide by G. Ricordi & Co., New York, a Universal Music Publishing Classics & Screen company.