Department of Music Faculty and Staff

Kevin Shinskie is an in-demand multi-woodwind musician and pedagogue originally from the east coast of Florida. He is regularly invited to perform, record, and arrange across a dynamic spectrum of genres. He has earned multiple DownBeatStudent Music Awards for his original compositions and featured solo performances, was named a 2023 finalist in the esteemed Jazz at Lincoln Center Jack Rudin Competition, and won the 2023 Vanderbilt Wind Symphony Concerto Competition for his classical performances. Kevin's recent appearances include lead tenor saxophone with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and touring across the southeastern United States with The Mavericks. He has performed and recorded with an eclectic array of world-class artists, ensembles, and productions including Maria Schneider, Pat Metheny (via the Henry Mancini Institute Fellowship), Etienne Charles’ Road March Tour for the Prime Minister of Trinidad, Gafieira Rio Miami, Tony Succar and Pablo Gil’s Raices Jazz Orchestra, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the South Florida Symphony Orchestra, and numerous regional Broadway productions with SlowBurn Theatre Company, Colony Theatre, and Pompano Beach Cultural Center.

Kevin remains active in arranging and technical leadership within the music industry. In addition to horn section arrangements and big band compositions, he also works as a woodwind repair technician. He regularly performs for corporate entertainment entities, including The Nashville Band, Music City Sound, and Absolute Entertainment. Beyond his role has a sideman, educator, and technician, he also leads his own jazz fusion ensemble, Chronology. They celebrated their debut album release in June of 2026.

Kevin holds the Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Vanderbilt University, where he studied under the direct mentorship of Dave Matthews Band and legendary saxophonist Jeff Coffin. He earned the Master of Music degree from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, studying with acclaimed saxophonist Marcus Strickland and GRAMMY-winning composer and trumpeter John Daversa.