The musical alter ego of Sharon Udoh – a Nigerian-born, US-raised pianist, vocalist, composer, and performer – Counterfeit Madison operates at the intersection of classical music, free jazz, gospel, punk, and performance art. On stage, her presence can be, as some have put it, “a storm” and “a warm bowl of soup” at once.

Udoh performs solo and in collaborations – with the likes of Clipping. (with whom she shares the Avant Art 2025 lineup), Tune-Yards, Angel Bat Dawid, and Ben Lamar Gay. Her work flows between soulful vocals, avant-garde jazz, improvisation, and structured composition. Her deep connection to the music of Nina Simone has sparked a series of projects reinterpreting the legacy of African American protest music.

She grew up surrounded by the sounds of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Debussy, playing in her mother’s church and absorbing the harmonic language of gospel greats like Fred Hammond and Donnie McClurkin. Today, she names Nina Simone as a spiritual ancestor, and considers her own music a ritualistic search for freedom through performance. Her concerts are immersive happenings, drawing on a wide array of formats—from reimaginings of Simone’s work, to Aretha Franklin tributes, to compositions for dance companies and 18-piece orchestras.

She also composes for choreography and curatorial projects, grounding her artistic practice in questions of race, gender, spirituality, and immigrant identity.

She has not yet performed in Poland, her appearance at Avant Art Festival 2025 will be her first in this part of Europe.

“I may never know the answers – but I can create, mourn, defy, and chant my way into fearless freedom.”