Mikhail Maurice Johnson

Mikhail Johnson (1989-) born in the rural hills of Maroon Town in the parish of St. James, Jamaica, is one of the country’s most promising pianists and composers. He was winner of the Jamaica Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition for Young Musicians Senior Division in 2009, and in the same year, won the piano section of the Jamaica Music Teachers’ Association Music Competition. He has won numerous gold medals and national awards in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Festival of the Performing Arts, and he was also a finalist in the 2017 American Prize Music Competition for Piano (collegiate division).

As a composer Johnson’s compositional style merges traditional European classical music and the avant-garde with traditional Jamaican cultural idiosyncrasies. His compositional output is being published on his publishing label Johno Muzik, and comprises of: sacred and patriotic choral works, African American Spiritual arrangements, song cycles and instrumental works. He has received commissions from universities and music organizations and has won and made the finals of several competitions and score calls which resulted in his works being performed by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, The Cantus Ensemble of London, The North/South Consonance Ensemble, The Concordia Ensemble of the University of Notre Dame, the Departure Duo and Transient Canvas.

Johnson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science and a minor in music from Northern Caribbean University; Double Masters of Music degree in piano performance and composition from Bowling Green State University, and a Doctor of Music in piano performance at Texas Tech University.

You can find Mikhail’s 2021 Summer Music Competition performance here.

You can find Mikhail’s 2021 Americas Music Competition performance here.