Aylin Ballard
Aylin Ballard began in music when she was 7 when she sang in the Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy Choir. Additionally, she participated in plays and musical theater through youth classes at Barter Youth Academy, Kingsport Theater Guild and Jonesborough Repertory Theatre and studied ballet, modern dance, tap, and jazz at Kingsport Ballet. As a homeschool student, she was also involved with the Tri-Cities Homeschool Band as a flutist for three years. In 2018, she began taking private voice lessons with Yvonne Blair at Blair Academy for the Arts and has performed in various recitals, ensembles and productions through the academy.
“I think what interests me most about performing is the storytelling aspect that makes it possible to truly connect with the audience. Music enables me to convey emotions and facets of characters that words alone cannot always express,” Aylin says.
She recently placed second in Division II at the 2025 Bristol Music Club Competition. Her other awards include First Class Honors with Distinction on the RCM Level 7 Exam and Superior Ratings at both the Blair Academy MTNA Festival and the AMTA Assessment. In 2024, she was named a CS Music All-State Winner for Tennessee and performed with the Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. She received a Superior Plus rating in the RADDA 2025 Voice Festival and passed the RCM Level 10 Exam with First Class Honors.
“It’s really difficult to choose one genre or kind of music that I would call my favorite. The common thread seems to be rich harmonies, meaningful lyrics and unique compositions. Some of my favorite bands to listen to are The Arcadian Wild, The Oh Hellos, System of a Down, Twenty-One Pilots, Dirt Poor Robins and Sleep Token. My favorite classical composers are Mozart, Vivaldi and Brahms.
Aylin still participates in shows at Jonesborough Repertory Theatre and hopes to return to Kingsport Ballet this year. She also plans to study piano this year.
“I am undecided as to a career path, but I would love to study music in college and include as many classes in the humanities, like history, literature and languages, as possible,” she says.
Her family is also creative. Her mother has her Masters in dance and has taught ballet, pilates and modern dance for more than 30 years. She has choreographed for Kingsport Ballet and Kingsport Theater Guild and teaches ballet classes for Musical Theater students at Milligan University. Her brother plays guitar and drums, and her dad plays the trumpet.
Her hobbies include sketching, creative writing, playing Dungeons and Dragons and competing in volleyball.
Aylin is 17 and is in the 12th grade. Her parents are Matt and Erika Ballard. Her hometown is Kingsport, Tennessee. While she is homeschooled, her umbrella school is Homelife Academy.
