Press | Jackson A. Waters

At 24, Jackson A. Waters Premiered Migrate For His Carnegie Hall Debut

Jackson A. Waters Grew Up on Motown. At 24, He Debuted at Carnegie Hall.

The composer behind Migrate talks bird calls in Japan, the politics baked into a 12-minute piano quartet, and why classical music is more accessible than you think.

Jackson A. Waters: The Tree That Grew in the Shade

Cabrillo Festival Composer-in-Residence Winner '26-'27

Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music has named composer Jackson A. Waters as the recipient of the 2025 Emerging Black Composer Project (EBCP) Cabrillo Festival Prize. As part of the award, Cabrillo Festival has commissioned him to write a new work to be premiered during the Festival’s 2027 season and will present Waters’ orchestral work Defending Greenwood.

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Mae-Deup (매듭) - A Multi-Sensory Exhibition

Galerie Shibumi is proud to present “Mae-Deup (매듭),” a multi-sensory exhibition by acclaimed painter and filmmaker Ari Kim, and award-winning composer Jackson A. Waters.

NYU Steinhardt Concert Composition Winner Jackson Waters' Creative Process

Jackson A. Waters' (Steinhardt Class of 2024) orchestral symphony Defending Greenwood was written in dedication to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Inspired by history passed down from his mother, Jackson wants to shed light on tragedies ignored by his childhood curriculum. NYU Orchestra debuted the third movement of his piece on Tuesday, April 9 at the Skirball Center.

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