Spiritual song interpreter. Soulful instrumentalist. Hunter College assistant music professor.
Harpist Ashley Jackson is all that — and more!
Jackson, a Decca Records US recording artist, has just released an album, Take Me to the Water, which fuses music and storytelling to create an unforgettable aural experience. Jackson’s second solo effort celebrates the sacredness of rivers through African American spirituals and music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Alice Coltrane, and Claude Debussy.
“What drives me is connecting people through music,” she said. “Music has always brought people together.”
Jackson debuted the record in late April at a lively party and concert at Hunter, transporting listeners with her melodious playing. The record has gained notice: It topped Spotify’s classical new releases in February, and in March Musical America Worldwide named her “New Artist of the Month,” citing her “enormous affection, immaculate technique, and surefooted sense of dynamics.”
As a soloist, Jackson has performed at Lincoln Center, Celebrate Brooklyn!, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. She has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Qatar Philharmonic, and appears regularly with the Harlem Chamber Players.
She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Yale University and a doctorate in musical arts from The Juilliard School.
