"Francis Kayali's "The Voyage of the Back Cove Fleet" proceeds from the composer's image of eight pianos as akin to a fleet, or a pod of whales, and draws on a broad variety of techniques, from clusters, to extended tremolos, to rising glissandos and even some vocalization. But its spirit is fairly gentle, and invitingly lyrical at times. Like all the works that followed, it benefited from the spatial effect of different sounds coming from rooms up and down the hallway, but as the first work on the program, it benefited most from the freshness of surround-sound effect."
Allan Kozinn, Portland Press Herald (Portland, ME)

"a playful work, full of scampering figures that disguise Kayali's freewheeling jaunts between Serialism and tonality, with hints of pop themes along the way."
Allan Kozinn, Portland Press Herald (Portland, ME)

"Kayali's offering was almost as quirky as [Harold] Stover's ["Five Preludes on American Folk Hymns"], consisting of Schoenbergian manipulations of a theme (not a tone row), which dissolve into a puddle of tonality."
Christopher Hyde, Maine Classical Beat (Portland, ME)

"The prelude to "Intermezzo" by Francis Kayali is an extended piano introduction that travels through an array of harmonic locations to welcome pleasant flute meanderings. The nocturne section is beautifully conceived with poignant explorations of melodic and harmonic content and rhythmic variants. The concluding capriccio is driven by a superb mesh of multi-rhythmic figures, including a bass line of boogie-woogie and jazz - quite a virtuosic escapade."
Sherry Kloss, The Triangle

"Despite the youth of the first piece, Francis Kayali's "Croquis du Nil" (Sketches of the Nile) casts six vignettes of Egypt's river, as encountered through 19th century eyes in distinctly un-Egyptian ways. The opening waltz positions the ear in the West, with each following sketch presenting a different tourist's outing near the Nile. Much of this music stimulates the listener with an array of methods sounding simultaneously. Kayali added "Dahabiehs" as a fifth movement to the 2007 edition, and Friday night was its premiere performance. Opening with winding violin melodies, the new movement illustrates sailboats used to visit Egypt until the mid-20th century. The sail's impetus is heard in the airy, puffy texture, and the asymmetrical meter represents the water's lilt. Throughout the piece, the texture successfully creates an exploratory experience, ending dramatically with a movement P.T. Barnum might have used to accompany a sideshow oddity."
Leah Harrison, The Post and Courier (Charleston, SC)