Artists Bio
Jaylin Vinson is an African-American composer whose music has been described as “an awakening” (Sioux City Journal), marked by “insatiable curiosity” (Heifetz Institute) and “bold and compelling” (DC Theater Arts). His work celebrates the intrinsic beauty of human connection. Spanning chamber ensembles, full orchestra, and opera, his compositions investigate depth of humanity and the complexities of identity in the United States, with a constant pursuit of unadulterated joy.
Vinson's compositions have been showcased at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the DiMenna Center for Classical Music. His works have been performed by ensembles across the country including the New York Youth Symphony, Houston Youth Symphonies, the Oklahoma Youth Orchestras, Baylor Symphony Orchestra, University of Northern Iowa Symphony Orchestra, the Brevard Music Center Orchestra, the National Orchestra Institute, Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Navy Band, the Apollo Chamber Players, and KINETIC Ensemble.
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Vinson’s one-act opera Future of Dreams, with a libretto by Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton was commissioned by Washington National Opera and premiered at the Kennedy Center in January 2025. Set in the year 2064, the work follows two Black women vying to become the first Black woman mayor of Houston, imagining new possibilities for Black life and representations of leadership. Complementing this is Look into the Wata, a chamber opera inspired by the Afro-diasporic mythology of Mami Wata, which brings to life the cultural significance of the African water deity. Supported by the Houston Arts Alliance Make Creativity Happen Grant and the Shepherd School of Music Richter Outreach Grant, Look into the Wata has been performed at The Alta Arts and the Shepherd School of Music.
Jaylin Vinson’s concerto Dark Matter is a 25-minute work for flute and string ensemble that premiered with Performing Arts Houston. He draws inspiration from the rich worlds of Black speculative fiction and the Afrofuturist imagination of Octavia Butler, whose groundbreaking novels expanded science fiction and envisioned Black futures.
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Vinson’s honors include being named Composer of the Year by the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra, winning the inaugural Altus Adams Prize by the U.S. Navy Band, receiving an Honorable Mention in the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, and being selected as a Fellow of Artist INC Live, a program supporting emerging artists in leadership and sustainability. He also participates in DaCamera’s Young Artist Program, a fellowship for chamber performance, community engagement, and arts leadership in Houston.
Jaylin has a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. His teachers include Edward Knight, Kurt Stallmann, Anthony Brandt, Karim Al-Zand, and Pierre Jalbert.