Trumpeter Kevin Lyons hails from Clinton, Mississippi and holds a lifelong passion for classical
and jazz music. Mr. Lyons began his training in Mississippi with the great Sonny Hill, then
studied at Louisiana State University with James West, and at the University of Southern
Mississippi with Alan Cox. Mr. Lyons earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance from
the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with Michael Sachs and James Darling. Upon
graduating from CIM, he was awarded the Bernard Adelstein Award in Trumpet and went on to
participate in the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Lyons toured internationally as trumpeter with the
Glenn Miller Orchestra where he traveled through the U.S., Canada, Japan, the Dominican
Republic, and the Caribbean.
Mr. Lyons is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and holds the position of Principal Trumpet with the
Miami City Ballet Orchestra, the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, the Greenville Symphony of South
Carolina, Atlanta Brassworks, and Nu Deco Ensemble of Miami, Florida. Mr. Lyons’ playing can
be heard on a number of major label recordings with the Nu Deco Ensemble, the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra, and backing artists such Sinead O’Connor, Matchbox Twenty, and John
Driscoll Hopkins of the Zac Brown Band. He is also a member of the Joe Gransden Big Band, a
group which is nationally featured in venues such as Dizzy’s Jazz Club at Lincoln Center and
The Blue Note in New York City. He has played with such artists as Diana Ross, Ray Charles,
Tony Bennett, Al Jarreau, Frankie Valli, Peter Frampton, Diana Krall, and “Weird Al” Yankov. Mr.
Lyons has performed in featured ensembles at the International Trumpet Guild, the International
Trombone Association, and the International Tuba Euphonium Association. Mr. Lyons has
played with the Cleveland Orchestra for a European tour and has been Guest Principal Trumpet
for the Malaysia Philharmonic in Kuala Lumpur. An effective and passionate coach for emerging
young trumpet professionals, Mr. Lyons has given masterclasses at the University of New
Mexico, Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University, Georgia Tech, and the University
of Georgia. An audiophile in his free time, Mr. Lyons enjoys listening to his vinyl record collection
of 10,000 albums. He is also fond of a great round of golf or tennis with friends.