Waters will receive a commission, serve as Composer-in-Residence, and have this piece premiered during the 2027 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. The Festival will also feature his original piece Defending Greenwood, on their 2026 Season.
Contact: Steph C Sherwood
Santa Cruz, CA — 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. The national initiative, in partnership with the San Francisco Symphony, supports and uplifts the work of young Black composers creating bold, compelling orchestral music today.
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.
“Jackson’s music speaks with clarity, conviction, and an unmistakable sense of purpose,” said Cristi Măcelaru, Music Director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. “Defending Greenwood is a work of tremendous weight and integrity, and we are honored to bring it to our audience while continuing our investment in Jackson’s artistic future through a new commission.”
Jackson A. Waters is a New York City–based composer whose work has been recognized by leading institutions across the country. As a recipient of the Steinhardt Scholarship at New York University, he studied with Julia Wolfe, Shelley Washington, and Justin Dello Joio. His music has been featured by American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot, New York Youth Symphony’s Jon Deak First Music Competition, Salastina’s Composer Collective, the NYU Steinhardt Composers Residency, and ARTZenter’s Composer Completion Grant. Jackson also founded Live Room Opus Sessions, a performance series showcasing artists from different genres collaborating with orchestral ensembles.
“I’m deeply grateful to be selected for the Emerging Black Composer Project and to partner with the Cabrillo Festival,” said Waters. “Having Defending Greenwood be presented by a festival so committed to the development of new music as well as entrusting me with a future commission is an honor I can hardly express with words. The Cabrillo Festival understands the importance of composers like me to explore our stories through music and continue to develop what orchestral music can be.”
Through the Emerging Black Composer Project Cabrillo Prize, a partnership between Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and the San Francisco Symphony, Cabrillo Festival continues its commitment to artistic excellence, equity, and expanding the range of voices shaping the orchestral repertoire.
The Emerging Black Composers Project and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music commissioning prizes are made possible through the generosity of Michèle and Laurence Corash.
###