He was born in Illinois in 1958 and began playing the violin at the age of ten. He was trained in the classical tradition but eventually became interested in improvisation and other musical traditions. He played American folk as well as Irish music and improved his improvisational skills as he went along.

In 1985 Kirk moved to Sweden where he continued to explore new musical areas with the violin. He played a short time with some musicians from the middle east learning about Arab musical traditions. This experience indirectly led him to meet Håkan Almkvist in 1990 and eventually Kirk became a member of his group Helmer Mudd. Being a member of Helmer Mudd and eventually Ensemble Nimbus has led him to explore a variety of musical styles and ideas such as Klezmer, eastern European, African, Indian and progressive rock all of which has helped to develop his interest in improvisation.

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