Colin Hinton is a Brooklyn-based drummer, composer, and educator whose work spans jazz, free improvisation, and chamber music. His projects are rooted in long-form structures and world-building, balancing improvisational risk with patience, detail, and sincerity.

Hinton leads a piano trio with Santiago Leibson and Eivind Opsvik, whose debut double album Three Suites (Endectomorph Records, produced by Tyshawn Sorey) will be released in January 2026. He co-leads Ocelot with Yuma Uesaka and Cat Toren, a trio that has received mentorship from Wadada Leo Smith through Chamber Music America’s Ensemble Forward program and most recently participated in Switzerland’s Uncool Residency. Ocelot’s next album, produced by Wadada Leo Smith, will be released in 2026.

As a chamber composer, Hinton’s recent works include Rtn CONUS RELAD (string quartet, 2025), based on interviews with his father about his experience in the Vietnam War; Shifter II (for violin and piano, 2025), commissioned by Roger Zahab; and Memory // Perspective (for two pianos and percussion, 2024). His compositions have been performed in the US, Canada, Switzerland, and Italy, while his own performances as a drummer have brought him to stages across North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He has collaborated closely with Stephen Gauci, Elijah Shiffer, Yuma Uesaka, Cat Toren, Santiago Leibson, Eivind Opsvik, Todd Neufeld, Fung Chern-Hwei, and Shawn Lovato.

Hinton maintains a thriving private teaching studio in Brooklyn and online, working with
students ranging from beginners to professionals. His teaching emphasizes fundamentals, creativity, and adaptability — helping each student build technical fluency while developing their own artistic voice. Drawing from over a decade of teaching experience, he adapts lessons to individual goals, whether picking up an instrument for the first time, preparing for auditions, exploring improvisation, or simply enjoying music as a lifelong practice.

He studied jazz performance for five years at the University of North Texas before completing his undergraduate degree at City College of New York, followed by a Master’s in Music Performance with a focus in theory at City College. Hinton later earned an MFA in Music Composition at Vermont College of Fine Arts. He worked closely with mentors including Ed Soph, Ari Hoenig, Dan Weiss, Tyshawn Sorey, and Ralph Peterson on the drum set, and Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, Eric Wubbels, Michael Early, and John Mallia in composition. Colin lives and works in Brooklyn.