Johnum Palado

Leading a budding yet versatile career, Johnum Palado is an upcoming media scoring composer as well as a seasoned violinist and church musician.

Despite his recent Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from Oberlin Conservatory, Johnum's affinity towards screen scoring began in tandem with his instrument studies. While at Oberlin, he studied under composers Michael Frazier, Jihyun Kim, and Theodosia Roussos, with additional training in improvisation from Dana Jessen. In 2022 he attended the Film Scoring Academy of Europe’s summer program in Varna, Bulgaria. From there, he received further instruction in screen scoring from Andy Hill, Jeremy Leidhecker, Jonathan Shanes, and Wilhelm von Dungen.  Since then, he has been tapped to score numerous film and video game projects on top of commissions from the concert hall to the church choir loft. Johnum’s output have been performed and recorded globally by Presidio Brass, clarinet-viola duo VIOLET, and the European Recording Orchestra.   

As a performer, Johnum received many accolades, including winner of Oberlin's 2022 Senior Concerto Competition, where he played Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor as soloist with the Oberlin Orchestra. He also co-founded and led the ongoing Sacred Heart Concert Series, a student-led organization dedicated to provide eccentric chamber music programming to a broader audience; highlights include John Adams's ""Shaker Loops,"" Nikolai Medtner's Piano Quintet in C Major, and Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 14 in C# Minor.  Johnum's church work is also extensive, either subbing or serving as interim director for churches of various denominations. Most recently, he was Director of Sacred Music at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, rebuilding its music ministry to a vibrant program with children and adult choirs.

Born in Manila, Phillippines, Johnum immigrated with his family to his home in Shreveport, Louisiana. In his free time, you can find him playing games on his Switch, binge-watching any show that makes him laugh, or at Chipotle ordering his favorite: burrito bowl, brown rice, chicken, medium salsa, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce (guacamole if time allows).