Burkhardt Reiter leads a diverse and active musical career. His chamber, symphonic, and electro-acoustic music is known for its keen sense of pacing, expressive clarity, and vibrant timbral palette. Commissioned by a wide array of performers and ensembles, Burkhardt's music has been performed in venues across the United States, including the June in Buffalo festival, the Composers Conference at Wellesley College, and the Music On the Edge concert series. Named Alia Musica's first "composer in residence" for their 2007 concert season, other recognitions include an artistic achievement award from the Pittsburgh Foundation and commissions from the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society and the Composers Conference.
Burkhardt's background as a trombonist informs his compositional aesthetic. Part of his working process is to collaborate with other musicians and artists, finding and making musical connections that would otherwise remain silent. Collaborative multi-media works with video artist Bob La Bobgah have been presented at the Pittsburgh Trust's Gallery Crawls and at Pittsburgh Filmmakers.
An interdisciplinary scholar, Burkhardt holds a Lectureship at the University of Pittsburgh and writes concert reviews for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He has presented his work on musical narrative and communication at conferences across the U.S. While earning his degrees at the University of Pittsburgh (Ph.D.) and the Eastman School of Music (B.M. with the Performer's Certificate), Burkhardt studied composition and analysis with Mathew Rosenblum, Eric Moe, Anne LeBaron, Christopher Rouse, Samuel Adler, and Warren Benson. Burkhardt has also taught theory and aural skills at Duquesne University's Mary Pappert School of Music and West Virginia University.