Johan Othman

Music Director

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Johan Othman, a native of Kuala Lumpur, obtained his undergraduate education at Oberlin Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1997 with a major in music composition. In 1999, he graduated from Yale University with a Masters of Music in music composition. His orchestral and chamber compositions have been performed by orchestras and ensembles in Malaysia, Germany and the United States. His string quartet Ada Angin Bertiup was recently premiered by performers from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra for the Three Nations concert in July 2022.

Johan has also worked extensively in Malaysian theatre, composing musicals, and songs and soundscapes for plays. In 2008 he composed his first opera, The Conference of the Birds, which was produced by Five Arts Centre, and performed in Penang.

Malam Takdir is the second opera to enter his oeuvre.

Johan teaches music at the School of the Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia. He obtained his PhD in Art History and Theory from Universiti Sains Malaysia in 2015.