Okorie ‘OkCello’ Johnson

Okorie "OkCello" Johnson is an American cellist-songwriter whose artistry integrates cello performance, live-sound-looping, improvisation, and storytelling - all culminating in original compositions that collide classical with jazz, EDM, reggae, and funk. 

His music is inspired by the exploration of African Diasporic melodies and narratives and their intersection with people's perceptions and assumptions about the classical and European nature of the cello.  More so, his work with improvisation attempts to embody the phenomenon of musical prayer. 

OkCello has been featured on the Tamron Hall Show, a recipient of The Kennedy Center Office Hours Artist Residency, and was accepted as a sound installation artist for the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 2022 Biennale. He is a co-composer and performer of a cello concerto Liminal, an Atlanta Concerto, which world premiered in February of 2023 with The Georgia Symphony Orchestra, he has scored a documentary for the Atlanta Journal Constitution named Imperfect Alibi, which won a regional Emmy, and he also scored a children’s theatre show for the Alliance Theatre named Head to Toe, which won a Suzi Bass Award. Join us at SCADshow for an unforgettable evening with one of Atlanta’s very own! 

Tickets are $25 for the general public, $15 for seniors, military and alumni, and $10 for students with a valid school ID, as well as SCAD cardholders (students, faculty, and staff). For more information on the performance or questions about tickets, please visit [email protected].