0 3 min 5 yrs

Atlanta-born, Nigerian-raised Howard University graduate and pop powerhouse AYO hopes her music can provide a message of empowerment and liberation. Her versatile style ranges from pop to hip-hop to soul, but the core of her work is always emotional vulnerability, love, and self-actualization. Her performances in the Mansion at Strathmore are on Wednesdays, January 15 and 29, 2020 at 7:30PM, kicking off the Artist in Residence class of 2020 concerts. AYO’s performances are generously sponsored by Mrs. Patricia Haywood Moore and Dr. Roscoe M. Moore, Jr. Tickets and more information are available at www.strathmore.org or by calling (301) 581-5100.


AYO’s forthcoming EP release explores the intricacies of being a black woman in America, heralding a message of love, freedom, and self-discovery. She employs a soulful blend of smooth vocals and poignant lyrics to illustrate her struggles with identity and acceptance. Over the course of her accomplished career, AYO has been featured in NPR’s Christmas special, made the top eight contestants on BET’s Sunday Best, and performed at the Kennedy Center for the 2015 DC Jazz Festival. She was also a soloist for the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2016. Most recently, AYO portrays a young Ella Fitzgerald in the newly released HBO documentary, The Apollo.

AYO earned a bachelor’s degree from Howard University in Jazz Studies and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Jazz Performance. She credits her time in Howard University’s Jazz Studies program for giving her a solid foundation of music theory and technique from which she could expand and explore. Since graduating, the accomplished singer-songwriter has worked with artists such as Common, Chance the Rapper, and Andra Day.

Strathmore Presents
Artist in Residence

AYO (pop vocalist)
Wednesdays, January 15 & 29, 2020
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 (Free Songwriting Workshop)
7:30 pm
Sponsored by Mrs. Patricia Haywood Moore and Dr. Roscoe M. Moore, Jr.

Tickets $19

Mansion at Strathmore
10701 Rockville Pike
North Bethesda, MD 20852

For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit www.strathmore.org or call (301) 581-5100.

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