Jeryl Johnston, PhD Student
Originally from Oregon, Jeryl has completed a Master of Music degree in composition from Brooklyn College, CUNY, and a Bachelor of Music Degree at the University of Oregon School of Music with dual majors in Piano Performance and Music Theory.
In Oregon, she began studying Afro-Cuban music, an undertaking which has taken her on an adventure that has included multi-year freelance tenures in both Los Angeles and New York City. In Los Angeles she performed predominantly with “Orquesta Son Mayor,” “Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad” and others. As a member of these ensembles, she played regularly at venues such as The Conga Room, The Mayan, The Getty Center, and Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Â
After several years in LA, Jeryl packed up and moved to New York City. Since her arrival in New York, she has worked with the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Charanga TĂpica ’73, Louis Bauzo, Ray Santos, The Rhythm Method string quartet and C4, the Choral Composer Conductor Collective, among others. Â
She has had the good fortune to study with composers, performers, and scholars Kofi Agawu, Ray Andersen, Sonny Bravo, Jack Boss, George Brunner, Gustavo Casenave, Jason Eckardt, Hulangonsodji (JB) Gnonlonfoun, Kevin Holt, Erika Honisch, Robert Hurwitz, Stephanie Jensen-Moulton, Steve Larsen, Tania León, Judy Lochhead, Benjamin Tausig, Arturo O’farrill, Ursula Oppens, Harold Owen, Margaret Schedel, Daria Semegen, August Sheehy, Victor Steinhardt, and Dalit Warshaw. Dialogue with these advisors has resulted in the development of a portfolio of original chamber and orchestral compositions, works for large and small jazz and Latin jazz ensembles, for eight part chorus with electronics, for West African drumming ensembles, and Cuban dance bands. It has also resulted in research interests which have led her to publish on the topics of music notation across cultures and West African timeline music.
In addition, Jeryl is a committed teacher, having held a position as head music teacher with the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance. She has also taught privately in the areas of piano, music theory and composition. Currently, she is on the faculty at Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music where she teaches jazz orchestration and arranging, and other courses in which she encourages students to engage with the topics of bias in music, and rhythm.Â
Jeryl is the musical director of the West African diasporic third-stream jazz ensemble “Yanine.” Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in music as a Graduate Council Fellow at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
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