Painting: Adior

Kelvyn Koning (he/they) grew up in McBain, MI where he developed a love for singing in harmony, playing piano, and writing music and lyrics. He now specializes in composing for choir and theatre and performing and teaching as a countertenor, pianist, and music director. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Composition from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI and a Master of Music in Composition from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Kelvyn has been commissioned to write pieces for middle school, high school, college, church, community, and semi-professional choirs. He was a finalist for The American Prize in choir and musical theater composition, in vocal performance of art song/oratorio, and the second-place winner of the Marian Anderson Award in Social Justice for composition. He has written or co-written several musicals for children and for adults, two of which won competitions: The Glassblower’s Daughter with Columbia Entertainment Co. and The Prince and the Painter with Moonbox Productions. Kelvyn also released his first queer Christian album, The Veil is Torn.

Kelvyn is a founding member of Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, Lilith Vocal Ensemble, and West Michigan Choral Lab, for whom he sings and composes music. Kelvyn has also sung with the Calvin Alumni Choir, Quorum, Seraphim Singers, Tutti Music Collective, and the Oriana Consort. He performed as a soloist at the Beaver Island Baroque Festival in his home state of Michigan and has premiered several new vocal and piano works by his friends in Boston. Kelvyn is an active pianist and music director around Boston, working at the Boston Conservatory, the Freelance Players in Needham, and Watertown Children’s Theatre, as well as freelancing. He is also the Music Minister at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Natick, acting as the pianist, organist, and choir director. Kelvyn’s vision is to foster empathy, healing, harmony, and social justice for individuals and communities through music and writing. It is his goal to create inclusive and accessible musical spaces, to program, lead, and perform music by diverse composers, and to create opportunities and growth for low-income people, people from minority groups, young people, and anyone who needs lifting up.