Evelina Jacinto

Evelina Jacinto is a homeschooled junior from Collinsville, Illinois, and is thrilled to be joining the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra for her first season as a violist. Jacinto has been taking violin lessons since age 5 and currently studies with Kyle Lombard. Beginning last fall, Jacinto began viola instruction under Chris Tantillo. Currently, Jacinto is a violinist with the Jazz St. Louis All Stars and the Webster University Jazz Combos, where she also studies jazz with Dr. Bennett Wood. She is a 2025 winner of the Young Arts national competition in both jazz violin and jazz composition, traveling to New York University to participate in the Young Arts Lab. 

Jacinto plays viola with the St. Louis Chamber Academy, has written compositions across multiple musical genres and plays piano, guitar, and sings. Additionally, she received a full scholarship to the Aspire summer program at Berklee College. She is a six-time Irish fiddle/slow air category winner of the St. Louis Irish Arts Feis competition and is a first-place winner at the 2024 Midwest Fleadh in the Irish slow air category, qualifying for the international competition in Ireland.  

Outside of music, Jacinto enjoys playing tennis, creative writing, spending time with friends and family, baking, and caring for animals.  

Jacinto would like to thank her past and current teachers and directors for their tremendous inspiration and audience. As well as the Chamber Academy, Community Music School, St. Louis Irish Arts, the Belleville Philharmonic, Webster University, and Jazz St. Louis for their continuous support.