Press Enter to search
Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a multi-talented singer, songwriter, pianist and cellist. She has a phenomenal mastery for seamlessly crossing 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 Ayanna.
An acclaimed and celebrated performer, Ayanna 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 first-class degree from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Manhattan School of Music, Ayanna participated in the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik Young Composers Scheme. Soon after, as Emerging Artist in Residence at London’s Southbank Centre, Ayanna 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, NYC.
As a composer, Ayanna has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Güerzenich Orchester, Ligeti Quartet, Kronos Quartet and The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company to name but a few. She was also selected as an arranger/orchestrator for the London Symphony Orchestra (Hugh Masekela, Belief) and the BBC Symphony Orchestra (Urban Classic).
Ayanna 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). Ayanna has worked with producers Marc Mac (4Hero), James Yarde (Terri Walker, Jamelia, Eric Benet) and recorded with featured artists, including pianist Robert Mitchell and rapper Akala.
With her January 2021 surprise-released EP ‘Rise Up, Ayanna again combined reggae, classical, jazz and R&B to celebrate black culture and identity to uplift and inspire the next generation. The stunning collection of three tracks and videos featuring Akala on ‘Rise Up’, Cleveland Watkiss on ‘Declaration Of Rights’ and the ‘Rise Up Riddim’ have received a huge amount of critical acclaim.
Ayanna said, ‘In ‘Rise Up’, I created a song with a strong message specifically influenced by my Jamaican heritage. The starting point was a dancehall riddim that informed the main cello riff. Lyrically, I challenged myself to create something uplifting with an uplifting message, and it just flowed. I wrote the song for the next generation in the black community to remember they are the key to the future. To celebrate their culture and to be proud of it. Now is not the time to give up on your dreams. No matter how hard things seem, Rise Up, embrace our history and claim our birth rights of freedom and joy.”
Many of Ayanna’s remarkable tracks have received airplay on radio stations, including BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, 2, 3, 4, 6, BBC Radio London, BBC Manchester, Jazz FM and Scala Radio. Her TV credits include BBC One, London Live, Channel 4 (Sing It Loud: Black and Proud), BBC Proms and a stunning performance on Later…with Jools Holland (BBC One).
Despite the challenges of 2020, Ayanna took it all in her stride and continued to create music. She performed a special Livestream for Royal Albert Hall, took part in Trinity Laban’s Virtual Orchestra and picked up an AIM Award nomination for ‘Best Live Act’. In addition, she presented two shows at Wigmore Hall, appeared on BBC Radio 3’s ‘This Classical Life’ podcast, co-wrote and featured on Anoushka Shankar’s Grammy single ‘Those Words’ from the Grammy-nominated Love Letters EP. Ayanna also collaborated with and featured on Nitin Sawhney’s stunning single ‘Movement Variation II’ taken from his acclaimed recent album ‘Immigrants’.
2021 was a stellar year for Ayanna. Collaborating with Solem Quartet as part of their Beethoven Bartok Now series, she has also had her song ‘Draw the Line’, commissioned by The Hermes Experiment, and featured on their sophomore album ‘Songs’. Ayanna also featured on the track called ‘Flow My Tears’ with John Aram, the arranger for Phil Collins. The song is a slick, modern-day reimagining of English composer John Dowland’s 400- year-old music. That year saw Ayanna return to the live stage, headlining at London’s iconic Jazz Café and Kings Place. She made additional performances supporting Nubiyan Twist on their UK tour, participating in ‘Jazz Voice’ (the opening of the London Jazz Festival) at the Royal Festival Hall and a 22-date US tour with Opera superstar Andrea Bocelli.
Now in 2022, Ayanna continues her composition work with several commissions for ensembles and orchestras, including a Royal Philharmonic Society Commission for the Philharmonia Ensemble. Her talent has seen her compose for the sold out, hit theatre production, ‘The Collaboration’, at London’s Young Vic Theatre, and compose for the renowned documentary ‘Hostile’ whilst working on her sophomore album.
With two headlined shows at London’s Purcell Rooms, and a headlined show at Wigmore Hall featuring guest artists, Ayanna’s continues to inspire with her composition ‘FAIYA!’ performed by the LSO in Trafalgar Square (conducted by Sir Simon Rattle), and collaborating on a number of live performances with ‘Solem Quartet’ of her composition ‘Island Suite’, which was originally commissioned by them as part of their ‘Beethoven Bartok Now Part IV’ series.
Venturing into new territories, Ayanna has been cast in a cameo role in the new Amazon Prime series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Anansi Boys’, alongside greats such as Whoopi Goldberg, which airs in 2023.
Ayanna is a performer of extraordinary versatility, due to her musical prowess, mesmerising vocals, non-compromising lyrics, and ability to deftly reinterpret songs on the cello. Her must-see live shows are intimate journeys that chronicle her experience as a female artist in the 21st century.
Ayanna Witter-Johnson is the very definition of eclectic soul.
A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Stefan Hadjiev has always looked beyond the main-stream and standard definitions of music-making, always aiming to remove the boundaries between musical genres. Recent classical engagements include a critically acclaimed performances as a soloist with the Stuttgart Philharmoniker, Staatorchester Kassel, Neue Philharmonie Munich and others.
As well as classical music, Stefan has always had a strong interest in other musical genres. He recently produced his first album of electronic music as part of the Klangbox series of Berlin-based label Feral Note. Stefan is also a co-founder of 180° — one of the most innovative festivals in Bulgaria for experimental music and interdisciplinary arts.
Australian cellist Benett Tsai made his debut at the age 13 and has since performed as a soloist with orchestras including the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Kammerphilharmonie Metamorphosen Berlin, Canberra Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra Academy. He has also appeared at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Shanghai Oriental Arts Center and City Recital Hall in Sydney. In 2020, he collaborated with Jean-Yves Thibaudet in the film, The Way Forward. A winner of numerous awards, he most recently received Third Prize and the Special Prize for the Best Haydn Cello Concerto at the 2022 Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann, where he was the youngest participant. Benett started cello studies at age five with his uncle, Thomas Tsai. He is currently an undergraduate student of Clive Greensmith at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. His previous teachers are Susan Blake and Li-Wei Qin.
Petar Pejčić studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in Leipzig with Peter Bruns. Winner of Fifth Prize at the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition, Petar also won the AENA Special Prize at the Pablo Casals Competition in Spain in 2020, Second Prize at the Anna Kull Competition the same year, and Third Prize at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition in 2019. He has performed with orchestras including the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Graz Philharmonic, the Serbian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Camerata Balcanica. Keen to broaden his musical horizons, he collaborated with the choreographer Jacopo Godani and the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company on the project BACH OFF! Petar plays an instrument by David Tecchler (ca. 1707, Rome.
Korean cellist Claire Deokyong Kim earned her Bachelor of Music degree at New England Conservatory (NEC) and is now pursuing her master’s in the studio of Laurence Lesser. She previously studied with Myungwha Chung. In her first year of Bachelor of Music, Claire won the NEC Lower String Competition and was subsequently selected to perform with the NEC Philharmonia Orchestra under Hugh Wolff at Jordan Hall (Boston). She has won numerous competitions in Korea, including Third Prize at the ISANGYUN Competition (2022). She has also performed with orchestras including the Suwon, Gangnam, Prime, Gwangju, and Korean Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her appearances as a soloist, Claire has been a member of string quartets that have been selected as Honors Ensembles at NEC two years consecutively, the Nico String Quartet and the Tavola String Quartet.
Korean cellist Jaemin Han came to international attention in 2021 when he was awarded the Grand Prix of the George Enescu International Competition as the youngest prizewinner in the competition’s history. He won Third Prize at the Concours de Genève the same year and, in 2022, was awarded First Prize at the ISANGYUN Competition (Korea). Performance highlights in 2022/23 season include a recital at the Tongyeong International Festival, his New Zealand debut with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Shi-Yeon Sung, and a tour of Korea with Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and its chief conductor Gustavo Gimeno. Jaemin has studied with Myung-Wha Chung and now attends the Korea National Institute for the Gifted in Arts, where he works with Kangho Lee and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi. He was recipient of the 2020 Shinhan Music Award and currently holds a scholarship from the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo foundation. Jaemin plays a J. B. Vuillaume cello generously on loan from ‘the auditorium’.
From his very first public appearances in age of 9, Maxime Grizard has impressed with the maturity of his playing. Born in 2006, he has been studying cello and piano for seven years with Claire Oppert and Roustem Saïtkoulov and has aleady won several first prizes in international competitions such as Vatelot-Rampal, Flame, Jugend Musiziert and Young Ludwig. At 11, he became known to the general public in France through its programme ‘Prodiges’ on France 2 by winning its instrument category. He went on to record a CD for Warner Classics on cello and piano. Last year Maxime represented France at the Eurovision Young Musicians in Montpellier. He performs regularly in France and abroad, in duo with piano, in chamber music formations and with orchestra.
Clara Yuna began playing the cello at age seven. Despite her young age of 15, she has already received multiple prizes in national and international music competitions, including the Polstjärnepriset (Sweden, 2023), the Bundeswettbewerb Jugend Musiziert (Germany, 2022), the International Anton Rubinstein Competition for Young Cellists (Germany, 2022), Ungdommens Musikkmesterskap (Norway, 2021) and the international Young Musicians Competition in Tallinn (Estonia, 2019). Concert highlights have included performances of Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under Delyana Lazarovay, and Bruch’s Kol Nidrei and Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major with several youth orchestras. Her teacher is Ole-Eirik Ree at the Barratt Due Academy in Oslo. From September 2023 Clara will be a guest student at the Kronberg Academy with Prof. Frans Helmerson. Clara plays a cello that has been generously made available by the Norwegian Dextra Musica Foundation.
Cellist Luka Coetzee made her solo debut in 2015 at age 11 with the Calgary Civic Symphony. Seven years later, in 2022, she received First Prize at the Pablo Casals International Award (Spain), First Prize at the Johansen International Strings Competition (USA), a special prize and Second Prize at the Dotzauer International Competition (Germany), and a special prize at the UNISA International Strings Competition (South Africa). She also performed last year as soloist with the University Symphony Orchestra in Dresden, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the National Philharmonic Orchestra. As a member of the LGT Young Soloists, Luka also recorded the Beethoven A Major Sonata on NAXOS. She has performed in concert halls including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berlin Philharmonie, the Tonhalle Zürich, Victoria Hall in Singapore, and at the Rheingau Musik Festival. She is currently studying at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar with Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt.