Tahirah Whittington
Tahirah Whittington (she/her) is a Grammy-nominated cellist and founding member of D-Composed and the Ritz Chamber Players. Her performance career spans Broadway, orchestral, studio, and screen work. She toured nationally as the cellist for Dear Evan Hansen and performed with the Chicago production of Hamilton: An American Musical. Her recording credits include The Lion King (2019) as a member of the ReCollective Orchestra, Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift, and albums by John Legend and PJ Morton with the Matt Jones Orchestra.
Whittington’s work also extends to film and television, including an appearance in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood as an honorary member of the Uptown String Quartet and performances on Empire. She remotely recorded the cello solo for Rhiannon Giddens’ Cry No More, arranged by composer Michael Abels. Her Grammy nomination recognizes her recording of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s Lamentations: Black/Folk Song Suite for Solo Cello, released by Cedille Records; excerpts from the recording are featured in the Toni Morrison documentary The Pieces I Am.
Whittington holds a bachelor’s degree from New England Conservatory and a master’s degree in Cello Performance from The Juilliard School. She has studied with Laurence Lesser, Joel Krosnick, and Hans Jørgen Jensen.
Featured Artworks
"Wake Up" Recording Session, 2019
Young Tahirah Whittington
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Show Me The Way, 2025
Recorded at the Sasha and Eugene Jarvis Opera Hall, DePaul University, Chicago
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D-Composed’s collaboration with Chassol - “Rude, Crude, Lude” from his Album, Funny How?, 2026
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One Was Gleaming, 2025
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Wake Up Juneteeth, 2020
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Rhiannon Giddens - "Cry No More", 2020
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"You Are Special" string quartet written by Diane Monroe, 2019