AYANA CUMMINGS

A percussionist and composer that synthesizes styles from the numerous ensembles she has been a part of, Ayana Cummings creates and performs music that is misleadingly complex and tragically beautiful. With her work, she aims to produce music that always has a section where a listener could nod their head or tap their foot. The wide array of influences she uses reveals her zeal for experimentation and discovery. She refuses to categorize herself as any single genre musician, and her full, layered sound in wind and percussion compositions, popular music productions, and film scores reflect this. When listening to her music, there is something new to be heard with each time it is repeated.  

Being a percussionist is a fundamental element of all the music Ayana composes. She writes with an intent to highlight rhythm and meter equally with that of tonality. Her full band piece The Road Ahead was commissioned by a colleague who is a middle school band director in Georgia. Her String Quartet 0 was recorded in a live rehearsal by the SORA String Quartet in Brooklyn, New York. In 2018, she ventured into music production and has