Ayanna’s Journey….

Ayanna Witter-Johnson is a singer/songwriter, cellist, pianist and composer from London (UK). After graduating with a first-class degree in Classical Composition from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (BMus) and the Manhattan School of Music (MMus), 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.

An acclaimed and celebrated performer, Ayanna has collaborated and toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the U.S.A. with many stellar artists, including Nitin Sawhney, Andrea Bocelli, Jools Holland, Peter Gabriel and Sitarist Anoushka Shankar with whom she co-wrote and featured on her single ‘Those Words’ from the Grammy-nominated Love Letters EP.

Via her own independent record label (Hill and Gully Records), Ayanna has released four EPs (‘Truthfully’, ‘Black Panther’, ‘Ella, Reuben & Ay’ & ‘Rise Up’) alongside her debut album ‘Road Runner’ in 2019, working with producers Marc Mac (4Hero), James Yarde (Terri Walker, Jamelia, Eric Benet) and featured artists including pianist Robert Mitchell and rapper Akala.

A celebrated composer, Ayanna has been commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Guerzenich Orchestra, Chineke! Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra amongst numerous chamber ensembles (The Hermes Experiment, Dionysus Ensemble, Ligeti and Solem Quartet). Her composition FAIYA! was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle in Trafalgar Square and recent honours include a MOBO Nomination for ‘Best Jazz Act’, the Nordoff and Robbins O2 Silver Clef Classical Award (2023) and RPS & AIM Awards for ‘Best Live Performer’ nominations.

Ayanna’s latest release, Ocean Floor — a collaborative album with the London Symphony Orchestra Percussion Ensemble — dives into her Jamaican heritage, weaving classical textures with island rhythms and ancestral storytelling. Her latest major new commission is for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra to celebrate their 90th Anniversary and she is currently co-scoring her first TV drama for Sky Arts (premiering in 2026). Her highly anticipated sophomore album ‘New Roots’ (due Autumn 2026) is a reflection on identity, belonging and rebirth, expands her signature fusion of classical, reggae and soul, tracing her Jamaican heritage through lush orchestrations and raw, personal storytelling to create a sound that’s both deeply rooted and boldly forward-looking.

Ayanna sits on the board of the Ivors Academy, is an ambassador for the London Music Fund and an endorsee of the ‘Witter-Johnson Rising Star Scholarship Award’ which is now available via London Met University to support a Music Technology and Production student who shows exceptional potential. 

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Please contact info@ayannamusic.com for any enquiries.