-
Department
-
Orchestra
-
Bio
-
EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION
Mr. Kyle Harrison Jirasek Liss is a music educator, string pedagogue, jazz pianist, and composer/producer originally from Chicago, IL. He holds a BA in Music, Jazz Studies emphasis from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and a Master’s in Music Education from The University of Colorado Boulder. He has gigged as a professional musician in a wide variety of contexts since age sixteen; has composed eight albums worth of original material across many genres, styles, and instrumentations; and toured the U.S. with a band he booked and managed for seven years. He has been teaching since 2013, when he began his career in music education through private piano instruction. He moved to Colorado in 2017, and soon after took the position of Director of Orchestras at Frederick High School. Since then, he has overseen the growth of the string program from two to four orchestras; has earned a Superior rating at the American String Teacher’s Association (ASTA) Regional Festival with his auditioned Symphonic Orchestra on multiple occasions; and has helped the Symphonic Orchestra reach and receive a Superior rating at the State ASTA festival. In addition to serving as Director of Orchestras at FHS, he teaches Music Technology and Piano, and directs the Pit Orchestra for the yearly Musical, earning state-level recognition in 2018 for their production of Disney’s Newsies, with a performance at the Colorado Thespian Conference at the Bellco Theatre. He recently presented string research at the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference, and continues to compose, produce, and release music under the name KJ Liss, including a solo piano album of original compositions in 2018, and a lo-fi electronica single in 2019, both of which are available for streaming on all major platforms. Mr. Liss is an avid believer in the importance and benefits of life-long music making, and is grateful for the opportunity to inspire young artists on their musical journey.
OUT OF SCHOOL FUN
Outside of his work as an educator, musician, composer, and producer, Mr. Liss loves to spend time with his wife, son, and dogs; train for endurance events (he's completed a marathon and two half-Ironman races); hike Colorado's incredible mountains, especially 14'ers; nerd out on all things Star Trek; play video games (including a custom arcade machine he built); and watch great TV shows.
