"Night of Summer Stars, a premiere also choreographed by Carrie Rohman, was billed as “a duet between dance and music” and lived up to this expectation. The Lafayette College Percussion Ensemble accompanied the four dancers using unorthodox percussion techniques - including playing on crystal glasses and whistling. The combination of the music and the repeated movements created a trance like effect. The energy of the dancers was constant the whole time – during both sharp, larger movements and subtle, barely perceptible movements – which added to the trance effect. The only thing that jerked me out of the meditative trance was when some of the dancers’ feet squeaked on the stage during turns."
--Rachel Turner, www.narthaki.com

"Most successful is the new glittery-costumed sextet “Robot vs Mermaid,” in which Mr. Munisteri evokes a strange, alluring world as well as displays his sophisticated structural intelligence. Curving shoulders and undulating bodies are contrasted with geometric physical shapes; the dancers barely touch yet seem intimately connected. The long, ominous tones of Kirk O’Riordan’s music [River Lights for Orchestra] and Kathy Kaufmann’s subtle lighting design underscore the mysterious partings and joinings onstage. We want to know more."
--Roslyn Sulcas, NY Times

“Robot vs. Mermaid,” the last piece, was choreographed lowest to the ground. Many of the dancers moved in and out of prone positions, perhaps as mermaids, perhaps lizards on the sea floor, propelled by slithering muscle movement. The costumes were exotic and sparkly and the music was a haunting hum, “River Lights” by Kirk O’Riordan."
--Martha Sherman, The Dance View Times

"Kirk O'Riordan’s five-movement work, Moments, Once Remembered for sopranino saxophone and guitar is a nearly seventeen-minute piece that may well be the highlight of the program. The musical language was lovely and the combination of colors was equally beautiful. In addition to Vernon’s stellar playing, guitarist Laura Lydy shows herself to be a powerful musician as well."
--Dr. Clifford Leaman, University of South Carolina

"Kirk's "Pressing forward, pushing back" is unique....it is indeed enlightening. In addition to war on human inertia, I heard echoes of the past century. I believe that Kirk is getting us ready for the time ahead."
--Dr. Jing Luo, Bloomsburg University

On Three Pieces for solo Piano: "The 'Moto perpetuo' first movement is true to form. The active arpeggiations and crashing chords propel the piece to its final cadence. 'Cadenza' begins with soft oscillations in harmony which expand throughout the range of the piano and a repeated-tone figure begins to take control of the motion. These two contrasting ideas are brought together and monolithic chords emerge and decay at the close. 'Toccata' is a monophonic ride through nimble passages in the piano’s lower register. The piece spreads out in true tocccata fashion and coalesces with huge banging chords. Exceptional writing and performance!"
--Jay Batzner, Central Michigan University
SCI Region VI Conference Blog, 2004

On Temptation for solo Bassoon: "[The] idea is very effectively portrayed in this excellent seven-minute work. Simple lyrical material is presented and then developed; cautiously at first and then more adventurously. After being subdued, the material is again explored more ambitiously, eventually even with wild abandon including multiphonics and very fast virtuoso passages, only to end in restraint."
--Jon Beebe, Appalachian State University
The Double Reed Vol. 23 No. 3, 2002