James Waltman

Fulbright/Trinity Laban Award in Music & Dance

Jimmy Waltman is a composer, songwriter, singer, and guitarist originally from Hopewell, New Jersey. He first encountered music in his elementary school orchestra and choir. He continued singing in choirs through high school, where he also began to study jazz performance and improvisation through private study and his high school's jazz ensembles. He graduated in 2023 from Princeton University with a degree in Music Composition and minors in Jazz Performance and African American Studies. His studies culminated in an album of original music titled "The Blossom," which he wrote, arranged, and recorded in Princeton with a 9 piece band.

After graduating Princeton, he moved to Philadelphia where he has worked as a freelance composer, performer, artist manager, and recording engineer. In Philly, he started an indie rock band called Cicada Killer with three friends, and they play regularly in the city. In the last 6 months, he has also been composing and performing music for a project called "Layers of Obscurity," a collaboration with visual artist and poet Tammy Sands that explores the connection between human health and the health of the environment.

Jimmy's music and lyrics take inspiration from nature and deal with themes of spirituality, self-actualization, and environmental conservation. Coming from a background primarily in jazz and rock music, Jimmy will study orchestration as a Professional Diploma student in the Composition department at Trinity Laban Conservatoire in London.