Dayton Kinney

Dayton Kinney creates music that has won and has been recognized in numerous national and international competitions. In Gramaphone, Dayton’s music has been described as “compelling single-movement designs.” Performed in the U.S. and abroad, Dayton’s music concentrates on “transforming the circle… into a spiral.” Through this notion, Dayton explores the limits of ambiguity in thematic material, accessibility, harmony, and form with the goal of striking a balance between the certainty of a circle and the ambiguity of a spiral. Her eclectic style is inspired by juxtapositions and accessibility, exploring the concept of tonal ambiguity through patterns, sectional comparisons, and repetition.

Performers who have played Dayton’s music include ICE, Nick Photinos, the Juventas New Music Ensemble, Deviant Septet, The Sirius Quartet, The Ciompi Quartet, HYPERCUBE, F-Plus, SOSDuo, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, the Zodiac Trio, The Grey Matter Ensemble, Frisson Duo, Space City Performing Arts Ensemble, and at Pittsburgh Opera, among others. Dayton’s piece, The Canary Who Sang, was recorded and published on the album Music On The Edge Volume 2 in 2020 by Navona Records.

Dayton earned her Ph.D. in Music Composition along with a Certificate in College Teaching from Duke University. Dayton Kinney also holds a Master of Arts in Music from Duke University, a Master of Music in Composition from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music cum laude with Honors in Music from Smith College. Her teachers have included John Supko, Leonardo Balada, Melinda Wagner, Salvatore Macchia, and Alla Elana Cohen.

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