Ayanna Witter-Johnson

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a singer, songwriter, pianist and cellist. She crosses the boundaries of classical, jazz, reggae, soul and R&B, to imprint her unique musical signature with her virtuosic tap, strum and bow with her cello into her sound and vibe. “As a second-generation Jamaican born in Britain, my music is a body of work that represents, celebrates and pays homage to my ancestral heritage, culture and identity,” explains Witter-Johnson.

An acclaimed performer, she has collaborated with many stellar artists, including Anoushka Shankar, Nitin Sawhney, Andrea Bocelli and Jools Holland. She has also toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the US.

After graduating with a degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Manhattan School of Music, Witter-Johnson participated in the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik Young Composers Scheme. Soon after, as Emerging Artist in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre, she performed as a featured artist with Courtney Pine’s Afropeans: Jazz Warriors. Later, whilst studying in the USA at New York’s Manhattan School of Music, she became the only non-American to win Amateur Night Live at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York City.

As a composer, Witter-Johnson has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Gürzenich Orchestra, Ligeti Quartet, Kronos Quartet and The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company, among others. She was also selected as an arranger/orchestrator for the London Symphony Orchestra (Hugh Masekela) and the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Urban Classic).

Witter-Johnson has released three EPs (“Truthfully”, “Black Panther”, “Ella, Reuben & Ay”) and put out her debut album “Road Runner” in 2019, with its two subsequent singles “Nothing Less” and “Crossroads”, via her own independent record label Hill and Gully Records. She has worked with producers Marc Mac, James Yarde and recorded with featured artists, including pianist Robert Mitchell and rapper Akala.