Ayanna Witter-Johnson

About

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a British-Jamaican cellist, singer and composer who plays cello and sings simultaneously, blending classical music with soul, jazz and reggae. She trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and the Manhattan School of Music, and in 2010 became the first non-American to win the famous Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. She has been MOBO Award-nominated and has performed and toured with artists including Peter Gabriel, Anoushka Shankar and Andrea Bocelli, appearing at the Royal Albert Hall and the BBC Proms.

2010

year in which she won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem as the first non-American

2012

MOBO Award nomination in the category 'Best Jazz Act'

What's new

2026-09
Her second studio album 'New Roots' is released on 18 September 2026, written during the lockdown and on solo retreats.
2026-04
In April 2026 she performed together with jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie and musicians from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at SWG3 Galvanizers in Glasgow.
2026
She is currently working on her first TV drama for Sky Arts, which will premiere in 2026.