Dayton Kinney creates music that has won and has been recognized for numerous competitions at the international, national, and state levels. Performed in the U.S. and abroad, Dayton’s music has had notable performances by the International Contemporary Ensemble, Deviant Septet, Rela Percussion, the Zodiac Trio, and at Pittsburgh Opera. Inspired from neo-romantic-ideals, juxtapositions, and accessibility, Dayton’s compositional obsession explores the concept of the “in-between” grey-area of “tonality” and “atonality” through shapes, patterns, direction, sectional comparisons, and repetition. Dayton is a doctoral candidate for a Ph.D. in Music – Composition at Duke University, studying with John Supko. Dayton earned her Masters of Music in Composition at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda. Dayton also holds a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude with Honors in Music from Smith College. Her previous composition teachers include Leonardo Balada, Salvatore Macchia, Melinda Wagner, and Alla Elana Cohen.