Kirk got his professional start in his native up-state New York playing in symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and theater productions under conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov and Doc Severinson. He also played as a sideman for various entertainers such as Engelburt Humperdinck, Jerry Vale, and Donald O’Conner. With an MFA in percussion from CalArts, Kirk went on to win many awards, including a Fulbright Scholarship to Denmark, the International Solo Music Competition of the German Radio (Munich), a Rockefeller grant to Mexico, and a Rotary Exchange grant to Japan. Kirk has received critical acclaim for his solo recitals given in Europe, Mexico, and the United States. With the Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble he recorded a series of 3 CD’s for the Swiss Label hatART, featuring the percussion music of John Cage, Lou Harrison and James Tenney.

Kirk then changed artistic direction, focusing on percussion.