Solo Arts Heal
Hosted by Gail Schickele
The healing arts for health, well-being, and learning.
Fred Johnson
Vocal Performer, Sacred Chanter,
Director, Painter, Author, Arts Educator
Susan Magsamen will be joining us in conversation with and after the musical performance by FRED JOHNSON .
Wednesday, June 3 | 7:30 PDT
Guest Biography
The fact that Frederick Johnson has opened for both Aretha Franklin and Dr. Deepak Chopra points to his versatility as an artist. An acclaimed jazz vocalist, author, and arts educator, Fred is a graduate of the National Academy of the Performing Arts as well as the Master Performers School of the National Mime Theater. He has opened for or recorded and toured worldwide with jazz and R& B legends Ramsey Lewis, Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, Christian McBride, Richard Elliot, George Benson, Boney James, Joe Zawinul, Ottmar Liebert, David Sanborn, B. B. King, Patti LaBelle, Herbie Mann, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderley, and Miles Davis.
He is recognized globally for his work in the health and wellness community and was instrumental in establishing the inspiring “HeArts & Hope” program at the University of Florida. His presentations on the healing power of music have caught the attention of internationally recognized holistic health practitioners and the medical community. Fred presents lectures and seminars all over the world re-accentuating the importance of creative expression as a catalyst for personal and communal empowerment, health and healing, and giving voice to the voiceless.
Mentored by masters of the African oral and percussion legacy, Fred has been hailed as one of the true guardians of an oral tradition transplanted and nurtured to create a fusion of cultural heritage that is uniquely American and inherently African. His global presentations of “Jazz, it’s Roots and Branches” has served to inform and inspire audiences around the world to recognize and celebrate a creative global tapestry set by the first woven thread sown from the artistic richness of Africa. His fifty years of experience as an artist, arts administrator, and educator has uniquely equipped him to be poised to both create structure and artistically inspire. Fred currently serves as Artist in Residence, Community Engagement Specialist, and Director of the Arts and Health initiative at The David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida. He was the first artist to perform at the Straz Center when it opened in 1987 and served as the Vice President of Education and Humanities from 1996 to 2005. His return to Tampa Bay after 15 years of international travel welcomes the opportunity to again add to the richness of the arts legacy of The Performing Arts Center and the Tampa cultural community.
Susan Magsamen is the founder and Executive Director of the International Arts and Mind Lab, a pioneering neuroaesthetics initiative from the Brain Science Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her body of work lies at the intersection of brain sciences and the arts — and how our unique response to aesthetic experiences can amplify human potential. Magsamen is the author of the Impact Thinking, an evidence-based research approach to accelerate how we use the arts to solve problems in health, well-being, and learning.
Solo performers present real-life, empowering stories. Transformative experiences for audiences. A theater of resilience that celebrates overcoming mental and physical life challenges and offers hope and inspiration. SOLO ARTS HEALS will include excerpts, talkbacks, and Q&A that provide education and advocacy. Readings or clips of performances will be shared by artists in conversation with Gail Schickele, whose work as a manager and producer of solo artists inspired collaboration of performing arts presenters with artists on a medical track based on their personal experience. The collective creative vision? To help communities through educational outreach and the healing power of the Arts.
