UT Tyler Music Faculty Named National Finalist in American Prize Contest

April 28, 2025 | Hannah Buchanan

Dr. Kyle Gullings, a professor of music at The University of Texas at Tyler, has been named a national finalist for the American Prize in Competition – Professional Orchestra Division for the performance of his original composition, “Gridiron Symphony.”

The work was commissioned and performed by the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and premiered last March at the UT Tyler R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center.

“This recognition speaks to the strong support that UT Tyler and its School of Performing Arts offers to its faculty in their professional development,” said Gullings, who applied for the award last April. “It is also a testament to the vision and expert execution of the folks at the East Texas Symphony Orchestra as well as the commitment of our project partners in the marching band programs at Tyler Legacy and Tyler High Schools.”

Winners will be announced later this fall.

The American Prize, founded in 2010, is designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, directors, ensembles and composers in the United States at professional, college/university, community and high school levels, based on submitted recordings. Thousands of artists from all 50 states have derived benefit from their participation in the contests, representing hundreds of communities and arts organizations across the nation.

Gullings joined the UT Tyler faculty in 2011. He previously served as the university’s School of Performing Arts director 2019–2023. With nearly 20 years of experience as a music theory and composition instructor, Gullings has enjoyed more than 50 performances of his works. Additionally, he has had several peer-reviewed presentations and publications as well as one grant in the field of music theory pedagogy.

He holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in music composition.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.