Episode 90

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Published on:

3rd Feb 2026

3.1 - Jordan Jinosko

Multi-award-winning composer Jordan Jinosko is celebrated across concert, media and film music industries, gaining international acclaim for the “subtle and powerful” and “cinematic scope” (Wisconsin Public Radio) of her work. Drawing inspiration from mythology, nature, her lived experiences as a trans woman of color, and her social & environmental activism, Jordan’s compositions have been commissioned and performed by leading and Grammy Award-winning organizations and performers worldwide. Her music has been performed in renowned concert halls including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Kimmel Center, and has been featured on radio stations nationwide and at major events such as the Midwest Clinic, ASTA National Orchestra Festival, and Interlochen Arts Festival. Jinosko’s music has also been highlighted and praised in various newspapers and magazines across the nation.

Jinosko’s Three Sketches of Unblemished Earth, as recorded on the album Advent of the Symphonina (featuring the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, and Budapest Scoring Orchestra), topped Billboard’s chart of Best-selling Classical Albums in August 2024. Her orchestral piece Tales from the Aviary is scheduled for a European tour in summer 2026 under the Conductor Yun Song Tay. Jinosko’s music has also been performed by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (Grammy-winning), conductors Péter Illényi (“Squid Game,” “M3GAN”), Ronnie Sanders, Ward Stare, Jonathan Glawe, double bassist Jory Herman (LA Phil), concertmaster David Halen (Saint Louis Symphony), violinist Yibin Li (The Juilliard School), and many other distinguished musicians.

Jinosko scored Trajectories (2022), a film by Japanese filmmaker Shun Shigeta, which won the Grand Prix of SONY’s Xperia U25 Film Competition. She also composed the score for UNFOUND (2023), a film directed by Australian filmmaker Poom Ariyakusonsuthi, which was nominated for Best International Thriller at Toronto’s Alternative Film Festival. Jinosko’s haunting score for UNFOUND also won the Afterlife Best Film Score Award in 2023.

Jordan Jinosko’s work has garnered other accolades. Besides topping Billboard’s Best-selling Classical Album, Best Symphonina of the Year (2025), Golden State Emerging Composers’ Competition, QUO Vanguard Composer Competition, New Conductors Orchestra Composer Competition, Green Dot Composers Competition, Brazosport Symphony Orchestra Composition Competition, and the Arts Midwest GIG Fund Grant. Additionally, Her music has also been honored by The American Prize, Global Music Awards, Music International Grand Prix, and Howard Hanson Young Composers Competition. During her time at Eastman Community Music School, she received the Molly Mulligan Award and John A. Wollaver Award. She has been commissioned by organizations including Strathmore in D.C. and County Hall Arts in London.

Jinosko studied music composition and music theory at the University of Michigan and the Eastman School of Music’s pre-collegiate division (ECMS). Her composition mentors have included Michael Daugherty (Grammy winner), Bright Sheng (MacArthur Genius), Evan Chambers, Kristen Kuster, Margaret Henry, and others. She took lessons in NYC with Juilliard professor, Samuel Adler. She has attended masterclasses with Grammy-winning composers (Gabrielle Lena Frank, William Bolcom, Christopher Rouse), Pulitzer Prize-winning composers (John Luther Adams and Shulamit Ran) and renowned film composers Paul Chihara (“The Karate Kid 2,” “The Green Berets,” “The Killing Fields”) and Conrad Pope (“Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Jurassic Park,” “Pirates of the Caribbean”). Jinosko also has participated in symposia led by faculty at Juilliard, Yale, Princeton, and Eastman.

Jinosko’s music draws inspiration from her experiences around gender. Her piece, Regeneration, chronicles the struggle of her own transition, ultimately presenting a triumphant celebration of queer identity. During the summer of 2025 and with the generous support of the Arts Midwest GIG Fund Grant, Jinosko completed an artist residency in Indianapolis, providing free music lessons to LGBTQ+ young adults at Trinity Haven, a 501(c)(3) LGBTQ non-profit organization. A member of her local chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby, Jordan volunteers her time to fight climate change and, through works like Three Sketches of Unblemished Earth and Tales from the Aviary, highlights the importance of preserving the natural world for future generations.

Jinosko studied music composition and music theory at the University of Michigan and the Eastman School of Music’s pre-collegiate division (ECMS). Her composition mentors have included Michael Daugherty (Grammy winner), Bright Sheng (MacArthur Genius), Evan Chambers, Kristen Kuster, Margaret Henry, and others. She took lessons in NYC with Juilliard professor, Samuel Adler. She has attended masterclasses with Grammy-winning composers (Gabrielle Lena Frank, William Bolcom, Christopher Rouse), Pulitzer Prize-winning composers (John Luther Adams and Shulamit Ran) and renowned film composers Paul Chihara (“The Karate Kid 2,” “The Green Berets,” “The Killing Fields”) and Conrad Pope (“Star Wars,” “Harry Potter,” “Jurassic Park,” “Pirates of the Caribbean”). Jinosko also has participated in symposia led by faculty at Juilliard, Yale, Princeton, and Eastman.

https://www.jordanjinosko.com

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About the Podcast

Composer Chats
Composer Chat is a podcast where we talk a little bit about music, a little bit about life, and a whole lot about whatever we feel like at the moment! Each episode I am joined by a special guest composer and we will chat about their pathway towards success in their musical career!

About your host

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Jason Nitsch

Jason Nitsch’s music is equally at home on the concert stage, in outdoor venues, and streaming online, reaching the broadest audience of musicians, performers, and music enthusiasts possible. As a composer dedicated to the exploration of new ideas, his music has evolved over a 25-year career to incorporate more and more non-traditional elements, such as effect tracks, sound drops, and enveloping electroacoustic works combining live and pre-recorded elements. Much of his work is rooted in a large ensemble context; his wind ensemble works have received thousands of performances throughout the US including at Midwest, State Music Conferences including Texas, Colorado, and Kentucky Music Educators Associations, Colleges and Universities like Baylor University, the University of North Texas, and Syracuse University, and at other regional music festivals (ITEA).

In recent years Jason has focused on more intimate chamber musical settings, including collaborations with solo musicians such as trumpeter Kate Amrine , Cellist Carolyn Regula (The Cello Doll) and vocalist Michaela Catapano, as well as chamber groups across the US (Chicago Brass Choir), while continuing expand his sizable catalog of works for larger instrumental forces.

Jason is well known for his work as an educator, dedicated to providing young promising musicians with the foundational experiences on which a lifetime of music-making can be built, and is pursuing research into the ways that music students process their experiences as learners and performers.

Combining his long career in music with a deep love of science fiction and a natural talent for storytelling, Jason recently launched his first podcast, “Beyond the Belt: Adventures from the Outer Rim.” “Beyond the Belt” is a collection of 8 original dramatic science fiction episodes for which he served as writer, producer, and composer. It tells the story of a scientific research experiment gone horribly wrong. With Zombies (of course!).

Jason has released three digital albums in recent years, including the Season One Soundtrack from the Beyond the Belt podcast, “1000 Steps to Nowhere", a collection of chamber music compositions, and most recently “The Dead Teach the Living,” featuring nine vocal collaborations ranging from solo works to Orchestral compositions.

Jason is a lover of dogs, video games, and all things Star Wars (yes, even the prequels). He is also a husband, father of two budding musicians, and a patron of art forms that stretch traditional boundaries.

He currently lives in Waxhachie, TX with his family. He can occasionally be sighted lurking at select music conferences.