This Year’s Guest Artist:

Aubrey Johnson

Aubrey Johnson is a New York-based jazz vocalist, composer, and educator. Her debut record, Unraveled, featuring her original music and arrangements and produced by Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group), was released on Outside In Music in 2020. Play Favorites, her duo album with the pianist Randy Ingram was released on Sunnyside Records in 2022. A third studio album, The Lively Air, featuring Aubrey’s compositions and arrangements was will be released in March 2026 on Greenleaf Records. Among the 50+ albums Aubrey has appeared on as a sideperson are Bobby McFerrin’s Grammy-nominated release, VOCAbuLaries, Arturo O’Farrill’s Grammy Award-winning album Four Questions, and Lyle Mays’ Grammy Award-winning Eberhard (on which she also served as executive producer.)

Aubrey has received composition and touring grants from Chamber Music America and South Arts, respectively, and was awarded fellowships in music composition by UCross and MacDowell. Also an established arranger, her vocal jazz ensemble arrangements have been published by Anchor Music. In April 2025, she released a collaborative album on Sunnyside Records with Dave Douglas, Helen Sung, and writer David Hajdu —The Lives Of Saints (Sunnyside Records) to which she contributed as both a composer and vocalist. She has also collaborated as a composer and as a vocalist with Janis Siegel (Manhattan Transfer)—she appeared on Janis’ most recent album The Colors Of My Life, and a song that the two co-wrote will be featured on Janis’ forthcoming studio album.

Aubrey holds faculty positions at The New School, Montclair State University, and Queens College, and previously held positions at New England Conservatory (her alma mater) and Berklee College of Music. 

https://www.aubreyjohnsonmusic.com

Check out Aubrey’s music here!