Violist Kayla Williams is an advocate for music, who hopes to diversify music through her own experiences as a Black woman.

Originally from Florida, Kayla’s music endeavors began on the violin at age four, joining the Tallahassee Youth Orchestra soon after. It wasn’t until age ten that she discovered her true passion, the viola. As a winner of the 2018 Lynn Concerto Competition, she made her concerto debut performing Bartok’s Viola Concerto.

Williams has been the guest of music festivals across a range of music genres including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Eastern Music Festival, and the Florida Folk Festival.

Williams received her Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida and is now pursuing her Master of Music degree in Viola Performance at The Juilliard School in New York City.

In a typical performance, I love to showcase many genres! These genres include classical, jazz, bluegrass, and sometimes gospel!