Jackson A. Waters is an award-winning concert and film composer. As a recipient of the Steinhardt Scholarship at New York University, he studied under Julia Wolfe, Justin Dello Joio, and Shelley Washington. His award-winning symphony depicting the Tulsa Race Massacre titled Defending Greenwood has been recognized by multiple institutions, winning him the NYU Steinhardt Composers Residency, Metropolitan Youth Orchestra Emerging Composers Competition, Greenwich Village Orchestra Reading, and earned him a Finalist position with the American Composers Orchestra Earshot Competition and Emerging Black Composers Project. His other works earned him opportunities including Salastina’s Sounds Promising Composer Residency and the Grand Prize winner for the New York Youth Symphony’s Jon Deak First Music Competition, commissioning him to write the piano quartet, Migrate, which includes a premiere at Carnegie Hall, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and with the New York dance studio Emerge125. His new orchestra piece, my rage is quiet, earned him the ARTZenter Institute composer grant.

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Beyond the concert hall, Jackson has established a dynamic presence in film scoring, composing for genres ranging from psychological thrillers to intense action films, introspective dramas, and lighthearted comedies. In addition to composition, Jackson has worked as an Assistant Sound Editor and Sound Designer at Parabolic NY, working with Academy Award Nominee Amy Berg for her new documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley. 

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Jackson’s work extends to the fine arts, collaborating with painter Ari Kim on Mae-Deup (매듭), a multi-sensory exhibit exploring In-Yeon (인연), a Korean concept of fate and human connection. Each painting in the exhibit was accompanied by Jackson’s original compositions, accessible via Bluetooth beacons that allowed audiences to experience the music in direct relation to the artwork. His EP, In-Yeon, can be listened from any music streaming service.

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Jackson is also a conductor and trumpet player, performing with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra and conducting many musical works with the NYU Broadway Orchestra under the direction of Theodore Sperling, including Street Scene, Sweeney Todd, and Jesus Christ Superstar. 

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Internationally, Jackson has worked with Beata Hlavenkova and the S.V.A Trio in Prague, recording in historic venues such as the 13th-century St. Nicholas Church. His experimental approach to concert music includes integrating audio sampling and real-time audience interaction through mobile devices, expanding the possibilities of live performance. His time abroad was the start of him releasing music on streaming platforms, including NoMad, Hold Me & Let Go, and Mangondo Postlude.

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Jackson founded Live Room Music, a recorded and filmed performance series that provides an inclusive space for the audience to sit within the music, immersed in a home-like setting. By breaking away from centuries-old formalities, Live Room showcases artists from different genres collaborating with classical ensembles in intimate venues. Through Live Room, Jackson has arranged and recorded music with jazz virtuosi including June Cavlan and Devon Gates along with R&B artists such as Autumn Jones and Isea.

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