Kayla Williams is a dynamic violist celebrated for her warmth of tone, genre-spanning collaborations, and vibrant presence on stage. Originally from Florida, Kayla began playing violin at the age of four and discovered her true passion—the viola—at ten. In 2018, she made her concerto debut performing Bartók’s Viola Concerto as a winner of the Lynn Concerto Competition.

She has been featured at a wide range of festivals, including the Grand Teton Music Festival, the 2024 Ode to the Black Fiddler Music Festival, the Florida Folk Festival, and the 2022 Pittsburgh

International Jazz Festival. Kayla’s collaborative work spans both live and recorded performances with artists such as Grammy Award-winner Jon Batiste, Cynthia Erivo, Raye, The Jonas Brothers, Ben Platt, Vanisha Gould, and Halsey.

As a recitalist, Kayla has performed across the country in concert series such as the Lyric Chamber Music Society, Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, St. Lawrence University, the Island Concert Association February Festival (St. Simons Island, GA), Trinity Concert Series, Warner Robins Community Concert Association, Lakeside Society for the Performing Arts, Oxford College of Emory University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Guest Artist Series, and Rejoicing’s in Mayesville, SC.

Kayla earned her Bachelor of Music in Viola Performance from the Lynn Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, FL, and her Master of Music from The Juilliard School in New York City. She is a 2021–2023 recipient of the Juilliard Career Advancement Fellowship and currently holds a violin chair in the Broadway production of Gypsy.