UT Tyler Music Professor Nationally Recognized as Accomplished Composer

February 10, 2026 | Hannah Buchanan

Dr. Kyle Gullings, a professor of music at The University of Texas at Tyler, was awarded Finalist Honorable Mention for the 2025 American Prize in Composition – Orchestra, Professional Division. The award recognizes the recording of the March 2024 premiere performance of Gridiron Symphony by the East Texas Symphony Orchestra and composed by Gullings.

The American Prize–National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts is a leading, non-live, recording-based competition evaluating top performers, ensembles, composers and conductors across the U.S. at professional, college, community and high school levels.

“It is a rare treat to be recognized in a national-level competition like this. I am so grateful to the ETSO and the area high schools that made the premiere possible,” said Gullings, who joined UT Tyler in 2011.

Gullings also received his first American Society of Composers–Authors and Publishers Plus Award in Concert Music, which recognizes his original compositions in 2025. This award is determined by an independent panel of distinguished music experts.

“We are so proud of Dr. Gullings and congratulate him on his outstanding achievements,” said Dr. Neil Gray, UT Tyler College of Arts and Sciences dean. “He epitomizes the excellence of faculty we have here within the college and the School of Performing Arts.”

With almost 20 years of experience as a music theory and composition instructor, Gullings has enjoyed nearly 60 performances of his works throughout the country.

As a scholar, he is co-author of the book, “Open Music Theory Version 2,” which is supported by two grants. Gullings also has authored several peer-reviewed presentations and other publications. He previously served as the UT Tyler School of Performing Arts director, 2019–2023.

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 11,500 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.