Mikhail heads to the Boston Conservatory at Berklee to present at the 2018 New Music Gathering

Mikhail Johnson has been invited to present at the 2018 edition of the New Music Gathering Held at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee May 17-19. On May 18 at 3: 45 p.m. Johnson will present on the topic: "Introducing everything Jamaican via Classical Music."

Jamaica is known for its rich musical contribution through Reggae music. However, the world knows very little about the country’s language, folk music, folklore, genres prior to reggae, and by and large it’s narrative. Consequently, these elements have not been utilized (if at all) to their fullest potential in the realm of contemporary classical music as much as the ideologies and cultural practices stemming from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. This presentation seeks to introduce the implementation of said Jamaican cultural elements in classical music, and to inspire composers to tap into, explore, utilize, introduce and even catalogue their native cultural elements and nuances in creative ways as to the likes of Bartok and Messiaen. This is the gateway initiate to preserving and perpetuating a nation's cultural heritage.

Click the photo below if you are here after the event to see the highlights from the presentation.