Soul Sessions with Ahmaya Knoelle & Friends

From 6:30pm-9pm you can enjoy The Deborah Newallo Experience AT THE BAR OR MAKE A DINNER RESERVATION ON OUR WEBSITE: redroosterharlem.com

Ahmaya Knoelle a New York born Harlem native and award winning vocalist, dancer, teaching artist, global performer, recording artist, musical director and producer, serves as Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the acclaimed music and arts institution, The Mama Foundation for The Arts. Home of the hit musical Mama I Want To Sing! Growing up in a musical family under the tutelage of her Aunt Doris Troy, the first female recording artist on Atlantic Records and acclaimed worldwide vocalist, and mother media theater mogul, Vy Higginsen Ahmaya was born into the theater and entertainment industry. Graduating from the Professional Performing Arts High School to The Manhattan School of Music for Jazz Vocal Studies and graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in New York City for Musical Theater studies for college, Ahmaya traveled the world singing on stages in various productions. The opera Porgy and Bess and starring in Mama I Want To Sing! In the United States, Europe, and Japan. In 2006, Ahmaya helped co-found with her Mother Vy Higginsen the Emmy Award Winning Arts Education Program of the Mama Foundation for the Arts. “Gospel For Teens.” After gaining global attention from the leading news program in the world, CBS 60 Minutes, the coverage story on Gospel for Teens received two Emmy awards for documenting the Mama Foundation program. Ahmaya has continued to lead youth of the NY tri-state area and the outer states of New York with music mentorship and artist development ever since. After meeting Hip Mogul Damon Dash, Ahmaya began to explore her love of media, creative directing, and content creating by working with Damon for 2 years, at his DD172 artist gallery in Tribeca NY. She studied under his team members such as the award winning music producer Ski Beats producer of Jay-Z’s first hit albums and Cinematographer duo Coodie and Chike of the acclaimed Netflix Kanye West Documentary. She nurtured a partnership with Damon and Mama Foundation through a series of events and creative musical projects. Ahmaya later continued her education at the City College of New York in Early Childhood Education, while her students at Mama Foundation were eager for a larger platform to show their gifts. She co-founded the award winning “Sing Harlem Choir” a commercial traveling choir ensemble in which she currently serves as Artistic and Musical Director. She has booked, curated and musically directed opportunities for the group performing with SZA on Saturday Night Live (SNL) and the 60 Annual Grammy Awards to be the first group ensemble to ever back up SZA in her career. Twice with Chance The Rapper on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Ariana Grande, Teyana Taylor, Madonna, Andra Day and George Clooney. Sing Harlem was the featured choir sensation on season 17 of Americas Got Talent in 2022. Additionally, they have performance credits with Jennifer Hudson, Pharrell Williams, Alesia Cara, Likke Li, Dolce & Gabanna, Christian Dior, headlining Brooklyn’s AFROPUNK, Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, the APOLLO theater and Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. In 2021 Ahmaya joined the faculty at the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase as a Professor of music for the Purchase Soul Voices Course and Ensemble. In fall of 2022, she was called to fill the position of Director of Music at Dartmouth College, currently leading the Dartmouth College Gospel Choir.

In 2010 her group Sing Harlem began a musical residency at Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem Restaurant, headlining the now world-renowned gospel brunch every Sunday, and proudly using the the platform for Mama Foundation students to further their music training and artist development in front of a live audiences. In partnership with Red Rooster Harlem, in 2022 Ahmaya created the Monday night live music platform “Ahmaya Knoelle and Friends,” highlighting her adult student graduates and top notch vocalists from the Mama Foundation for the Arts with an evening full of soul and live music.

Ahmaya is proud to continue the history of Harlem and our African American musical art forms for generations to come.

Host or Publisher Red Rooster Harlem