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Mikhail Maurice Johnson (D.M.A.) Pianist, Composer (born 1989)
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The Performer
Mikhail has always been a consummate performer, playing for multivarious church choirs and conference events in Jamaica and abroad. During high school, his facility with the piano and recorder grew immensely, propelling him to compete in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Festival of the Performing Arts competitions. There he earned numerous awards, gold and silver medals and national trophies in the categories of piano, recorder and voice.
During his studies at Northern Caribbean University, he then went on to win the inaugural Jamaica Symphony Orchestra Concerto competition in 2009, resulting in his debut as soloist with the Jamaica Symphony Orchestra. That same year, he went on to win the piano section of the Jamaica Music Teachers' Association Music Competition. He curated and performed several concerts as soloist and with his colleague Joel George as the George Johnson Duo.
Mikhail was then awarded as Young Artist-in-Residence for the 2013-2014 concert season at the Mountambrin Theatre Gallery in Westmoreland, Jamaica. There he performed solo piano and recorder recitals, showcasing his own dazzling compositions.
While studying abroad he continued concertizing in Jamaica, and expanded his reach throughout the United States, Canada, Greece and Italy. In 2021 Mikhail was the two-time winner of the Charleston International Music Competition, as both the first Jamaican national to enter, and to win - twice. In 2022 Mikhail made his successful debut at the Tacoma Museum of Glass. This event was followed by an Organist-in-Residence post at Plymouth Church in Seattle in 2023, which culminated in a recital.
Mikhail’s performances are now centered around curating a recital series which highlights his own compositions, and the works of women composers who accompany him on tour. These vibrant programs are subsequently committed to commercial recordings.
The Composer
The connection between composition and Mikhail’s innate improvisational abilities was not established until he learned to write down his improvisations, during his final years in high school. At the time he was preparing for the external music examinations that required composition as a substantial component. Nevertheless, it was in 2007 after arriving at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) that his compositional talents truly flourished. During this period he was primarily a choral composer, creating a variety of Choral anthems, Jamaican patriotic anthems, musical settings of poems, and arrangements of African American Spirituals and hymns. Although he has now withdrawn many of these choral works from his output, works that remain from that time include: Anthem of Independence (2008), Psalm 23 (2010), Misereatur for String Orchestra (2014) and his magnum opus, 24 Choral Benedictions, composed between 2010-2012. These benedictions commenced his journey to self-publication under Johno Muzik Publications, his official publishing house today across his oeuvre.
Embarking on the journey to further music education in the United States in 2014, Mikhail perceived an opportunity to venture further into the realm of instrumental music. While many of his previous works leaned heavily on the conventional Western Music traditions of tonal harmony, his newer works experimented with merging traditional tonalities with the avant-garde techniques he was introduced to as a student at Bowling Green State University. This culminated in his personal style being fully realized, infused with the rhythmic language and narratives of Jamaica therein. This compositional self-actualization produced compositions such as: Rose of Sharon (2015), which received its world premiere by the Cantus Ensemble of London; and Jamaican Plight (2015-2017), a six-song cycle for soprano and piano that uses the poetry of Louise Bennett-Coverley in the Jamaican language. This cycle was a social commentary regarding Jamaican emigration to the US and UK. Shortly thereafter, Mikhail composed Jubilee (Procession) (2018) for cello and percussion.
By 2019 his composition career catapulted into orbit with the commission of Evil’s Peak (2019) for soprano and Double Bass, which resulted in many more commissions to follow. He also went on to win several composition call for scores and competitions, resulting in his works being performed by Anderson and Roe Duo, Transient Canvas, Departure Duo, Concordia Ensemble of the University of Notre Dame, North/South Consonance Ensemble, Verdant Vibes, fivebyfive Vashon Maury Chamber Orchestra, Northwest Sinfonietta, James Mitchell (then assistant organist for Gloucester Cathedral), the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, members of the University of North Carolina Greensboro Clarinet Consortium, and 21st Century Consort.
In 2022 Johnson completed his first opera Shaat Kot Draa Blod a thriller opera in one act which was commissioned and presented by Seattle Opera. This was a historical moment, as Mikhail Johnson became the first black composer to have an opera commissioned and presented by the company in its 60-year history.
Notable Compositions
Evil’s Peak (2019) for soprano and double bass is a four-song cycle commissioned by the Departure Duo. The piece was inspired by a 13th century wall painting of death holding the hands of people from all walks of life. The piece is completely in the Jamaican language and constructed as a social commentary on how death is unforgiving to people in power who abuse it. Simultaneously, death is remorseful to the poor, righteous and innocent as her nature overrides her choice and they too must join death’s dance.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/6FmexBqm0yU?si=GDqcjNzLeatpqMQi
Wach ya HAYDN?! (2020) for solo piano commissioned by Bowling Green State University for Abigail Maser. The composition is based on and intended to be paired with Haydn's Sonata in D major Hob. XVI: 37. Using elements from this sonata, the result was a piece pedagogically crafted as an introduction to new music for the early collegiate piano student, while evoking the game of hide and seek.
Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/mikhail-johnson/wach-ya-haydn-for-solo-piano
Xaymaca Fanfare (2020) for brass and percussion was composed to commemorate Jamaica’s Independence Diamond Jubilee. It uses fragments of the Jamaica National Anthem and the patriotic song Jamaican Land of Beauty as the undercurrent to create a very “tallawalic” tribute to the land of wood and water.
Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/mikhail.johnson1/videos/442516944586354
Ton yo han mek Fashan (2020/21) for Bass Clarinet and Marimba was commissioned by Transient Canvas as winner of their 2020 Composition Fellowship. This piece is inspired by the Jamaica Mento Band and uses these modern instruments to create a set of instrumental variations on the theme of a two-man band. Using the features of the rhumba box and the clarinet or handmade reed instrument, Mikhail created a work that was joyful and encapsulated making the most out of a difficult situation.
Watch here: https://soundcloud.com/mikhail-johnson/ton-yo-han-mek-fashan-for-bass-clarinet-and-marimba-world-premiere
Praise to the Mother of Jamaican Art (2023) for soprano and piano was commissioned by the Brooklyn Art Song Society for their New Voices Festival. Mikhail created a musical setting to 2017 Jamaican Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison's poem, Who was the Mother of Jamaican Art. Goodison believes unequivocally the first mother of Jamaican Art was an enslaved African woman whose art was born out of unspeakable circumstances, and whose work would have been unsigned. While the poem speaks from the vantage point of the many gifted people that were lost to the world because of something as vile as the Atlantic slave trade, Mikhail expands this narrative to provide a form of commentary on the exploitation of modern visual artists holistically in the country.
Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/mikhail.johnson1/videos/850311323251416
Shaat Kot Draa Blod a Thriller Opera in One Act (2023) for mezzo soprano and tenor and 5 instruments, was commissioned by Seattle Opera in their 2022/2023 season to be a part of their Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab. The libretto created by Kristin McCarthy and Mikhail Johnson expounds on the succinct Jamaican tale of the Cat Woman and the Spinning Wheel. A young man returns home to celebrate his sister’s graduation after years abroad. However, on his journey he encounters a seemingly kind woman who lures him unto an uncharted path. He must now face the consequence of his choice.
Professional and Academic Life
Mikhail has served as Head Music Teacher of the Spot Valley High School from 2011-2013. There he aided in the construction of the music curriculum and prepared the school for their first batch of external level music examinations with great success. He also served as Artistic Director of the Sport Valley High School choir-dance troupe where he prepared the troupe to compete in the JCDC Music Festival Competitions. This earned the school several gold and silver medals and national awards that continued their firm trajectory of holding the reigning national champions title in the traditional folk form categories. The troupe has received several honors, such as performing at the Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary Independence National Gala at the National Arena in 2012, among other government related events.
Johnson went on to teach group piano at both Bowling Green State University and Texas Tech University during his own studies there, preparing undergraduate music education students for piano proficiency. He also served as Head of Piano Studies at the Texas Division Music and Arts Conservatory Camp 2018-2019.
During the 2022-2023 year Johnson taught piano at the Federal Way School of Music, and then accepted his current post of Teaching Artist Fellow at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. His current position focuses on providing excellent general music education to marginalized public schools in addition to teaching piano.
Mikhail has also served as chief judge for international competitions such as the Rocky Mountain Music Competition and 21st Century Talents Music Competition in Canada, in the categories of piano and music composition.
His doctoral dissertation Perspectives on cultural appropriation in classical piano music: A brief analysis of select works spanning the 17th to the early 20th centuries, has made its way across the world as a leading document on the utilization of music from other cultures and the tools needed to become good cultural advocates. This has resulted in Mikhail Johnson making several presentations at national conferences such as the Music Teachers National Association Conference and the New Music Gathering. Also, several companies and organizations have leaned on Mikhail’s consultation in the curation of their concert programs and commissioning of new works.
Mikhail’s compositions have also been excerpted in educational material, the most recent being published by the Oxford University Press.
Mikhail has always been a consummate performer, playing for multivarious church choirs and conference events in Jamaica and abroad. During high school, his facility with the piano and recorder grew immensely, propelling him to compete in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Festival of the Performing Arts competitions. There he earned numerous awards, gold and silver medals and national trophies in the categories of piano, recorder and voice.
During his studies at Northern Caribbean University, he then went on to win the inaugural Jamaica Symphony Orchestra Concerto competition in 2009, resulting in his debut as soloist with the Jamaica Symphony Orchestra. That same year, he went on to win the piano section of the Jamaica Music Teachers' Association Music Competition. He curated and performed several concerts as soloist and with his colleague Joel George as the George Johnson Duo.
Mikhail was then awarded as Young Artist-in-Residence for the 2013-2014 concert season at the Mountambrin Theatre Gallery in Westmoreland, Jamaica. There he performed solo piano and recorder recitals, showcasing his own dazzling compositions.
While studying abroad he continued concertizing in Jamaica, and expanded his reach throughout the United States, Canada, Greece and Italy. In 2021 Mikhail was the two-time winner of the Charleston International Music Competition, as both the first Jamaican national to enter, and to win - twice. In 2022 Mikhail made his successful debut at the Tacoma Museum of Glass. This event was followed by an Organist-in-Residence post at Plymouth Church in Seattle in 2023, which culminated in a recital.
Mikhail’s performances are now centered around curating a recital series which highlights his own compositions, and the works of women composers who accompany him on tour. These vibrant programs are subsequently committed to commercial recordings.
The Composer
The connection between composition and Mikhail’s innate improvisational abilities was not established until he learned to write down his improvisations, during his final years in high school. At the time he was preparing for the external music examinations that required composition as a substantial component. Nevertheless, it was in 2007 after arriving at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) that his compositional talents truly flourished. During this period he was primarily a choral composer, creating a variety of Choral anthems, Jamaican patriotic anthems, musical settings of poems, and arrangements of African American Spirituals and hymns. Although he has now withdrawn many of these choral works from his output, works that remain from that time include: Anthem of Independence (2008), Psalm 23 (2010), Misereatur for String Orchestra (2014) and his magnum opus, 24 Choral Benedictions, composed between 2010-2012. These benedictions commenced his journey to self-publication under Johno Muzik Publications, his official publishing house today across his oeuvre.
Embarking on the journey to further music education in the United States in 2014, Mikhail perceived an opportunity to venture further into the realm of instrumental music. While many of his previous works leaned heavily on the conventional Western Music traditions of tonal harmony, his newer works experimented with merging traditional tonalities with the avant-garde techniques he was introduced to as a student at Bowling Green State University. This culminated in his personal style being fully realized, infused with the rhythmic language and narratives of Jamaica therein. This compositional self-actualization produced compositions such as: Rose of Sharon (2015), which received its world premiere by the Cantus Ensemble of London; and Jamaican Plight (2015-2017), a six-song cycle for soprano and piano that uses the poetry of Louise Bennett-Coverley in the Jamaican language. This cycle was a social commentary regarding Jamaican emigration to the US and UK. Shortly thereafter, Mikhail composed Jubilee (Procession) (2018) for cello and percussion.
By 2019 his composition career catapulted into orbit with the commission of Evil’s Peak (2019) for soprano and Double Bass, which resulted in many more commissions to follow. He also went on to win several composition call for scores and competitions, resulting in his works being performed by Anderson and Roe Duo, Transient Canvas, Departure Duo, Concordia Ensemble of the University of Notre Dame, North/South Consonance Ensemble, Verdant Vibes, fivebyfive Vashon Maury Chamber Orchestra, Northwest Sinfonietta, James Mitchell (then assistant organist for Gloucester Cathedral), the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, members of the University of North Carolina Greensboro Clarinet Consortium, and 21st Century Consort.
In 2022 Johnson completed his first opera Shaat Kot Draa Blod a thriller opera in one act which was commissioned and presented by Seattle Opera. This was a historical moment, as Mikhail Johnson became the first black composer to have an opera commissioned and presented by the company in its 60-year history.
Notable Compositions
Evil’s Peak (2019) for soprano and double bass is a four-song cycle commissioned by the Departure Duo. The piece was inspired by a 13th century wall painting of death holding the hands of people from all walks of life. The piece is completely in the Jamaican language and constructed as a social commentary on how death is unforgiving to people in power who abuse it. Simultaneously, death is remorseful to the poor, righteous and innocent as her nature overrides her choice and they too must join death’s dance.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/6FmexBqm0yU?si=GDqcjNzLeatpqMQi
Wach ya HAYDN?! (2020) for solo piano commissioned by Bowling Green State University for Abigail Maser. The composition is based on and intended to be paired with Haydn's Sonata in D major Hob. XVI: 37. Using elements from this sonata, the result was a piece pedagogically crafted as an introduction to new music for the early collegiate piano student, while evoking the game of hide and seek.
Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/mikhail-johnson/wach-ya-haydn-for-solo-piano
Xaymaca Fanfare (2020) for brass and percussion was composed to commemorate Jamaica’s Independence Diamond Jubilee. It uses fragments of the Jamaica National Anthem and the patriotic song Jamaican Land of Beauty as the undercurrent to create a very “tallawalic” tribute to the land of wood and water.
Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/mikhail.johnson1/videos/442516944586354
Ton yo han mek Fashan (2020/21) for Bass Clarinet and Marimba was commissioned by Transient Canvas as winner of their 2020 Composition Fellowship. This piece is inspired by the Jamaica Mento Band and uses these modern instruments to create a set of instrumental variations on the theme of a two-man band. Using the features of the rhumba box and the clarinet or handmade reed instrument, Mikhail created a work that was joyful and encapsulated making the most out of a difficult situation.
Watch here: https://soundcloud.com/mikhail-johnson/ton-yo-han-mek-fashan-for-bass-clarinet-and-marimba-world-premiere
Praise to the Mother of Jamaican Art (2023) for soprano and piano was commissioned by the Brooklyn Art Song Society for their New Voices Festival. Mikhail created a musical setting to 2017 Jamaican Poet Laureate Lorna Goodison's poem, Who was the Mother of Jamaican Art. Goodison believes unequivocally the first mother of Jamaican Art was an enslaved African woman whose art was born out of unspeakable circumstances, and whose work would have been unsigned. While the poem speaks from the vantage point of the many gifted people that were lost to the world because of something as vile as the Atlantic slave trade, Mikhail expands this narrative to provide a form of commentary on the exploitation of modern visual artists holistically in the country.
Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/mikhail.johnson1/videos/850311323251416
Shaat Kot Draa Blod a Thriller Opera in One Act (2023) for mezzo soprano and tenor and 5 instruments, was commissioned by Seattle Opera in their 2022/2023 season to be a part of their Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab. The libretto created by Kristin McCarthy and Mikhail Johnson expounds on the succinct Jamaican tale of the Cat Woman and the Spinning Wheel. A young man returns home to celebrate his sister’s graduation after years abroad. However, on his journey he encounters a seemingly kind woman who lures him unto an uncharted path. He must now face the consequence of his choice.
Professional and Academic Life
Mikhail has served as Head Music Teacher of the Spot Valley High School from 2011-2013. There he aided in the construction of the music curriculum and prepared the school for their first batch of external level music examinations with great success. He also served as Artistic Director of the Sport Valley High School choir-dance troupe where he prepared the troupe to compete in the JCDC Music Festival Competitions. This earned the school several gold and silver medals and national awards that continued their firm trajectory of holding the reigning national champions title in the traditional folk form categories. The troupe has received several honors, such as performing at the Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary Independence National Gala at the National Arena in 2012, among other government related events.
Johnson went on to teach group piano at both Bowling Green State University and Texas Tech University during his own studies there, preparing undergraduate music education students for piano proficiency. He also served as Head of Piano Studies at the Texas Division Music and Arts Conservatory Camp 2018-2019.
During the 2022-2023 year Johnson taught piano at the Federal Way School of Music, and then accepted his current post of Teaching Artist Fellow at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. His current position focuses on providing excellent general music education to marginalized public schools in addition to teaching piano.
Mikhail has also served as chief judge for international competitions such as the Rocky Mountain Music Competition and 21st Century Talents Music Competition in Canada, in the categories of piano and music composition.
His doctoral dissertation Perspectives on cultural appropriation in classical piano music: A brief analysis of select works spanning the 17th to the early 20th centuries, has made its way across the world as a leading document on the utilization of music from other cultures and the tools needed to become good cultural advocates. This has resulted in Mikhail Johnson making several presentations at national conferences such as the Music Teachers National Association Conference and the New Music Gathering. Also, several companies and organizations have leaned on Mikhail’s consultation in the curation of their concert programs and commissioning of new works.
Mikhail’s compositions have also been excerpted in educational material, the most recent being published by the Oxford University Press.
Website: https://www.mikhailjohnson.com
List of Compositions: https://www.mikhailjohnson.com/compositions
Compositions: https://soundcloud.com/mikhail-johnson
Current printed Publications: https://smd.subitomusic.com/mikhailjohnson
List of Compositions: https://www.mikhailjohnson.com/compositions
Compositions: https://soundcloud.com/mikhail-johnson
Current printed Publications: https://smd.subitomusic.com/mikhailjohnson
Mikhail Johnson, November 2023
