Leading a budding yet versatile career, Johnum Palado (b. 1999) is a concert and media composer/arranger, violinist, and church musician based in New York City.
As a media composer, his scores have been premiered in numerous festivals, including the Louisiana Film Prize, the Montclair Film Festival, and the International Brooklyn Short Films Festival. An avid gamer, Johnum specializes in video game music and has seen much success collaborating in audio for various indie game jams. Alongside Aaron Schondorf, they are lead composers for the FPS co-op game MYCOPUNK, developed by PigeonsAtPlay (FishGun) and Devolver Digital (GRIS, Poinpy, Inscryption).
Johnum is part of SÖNUM, a composer duo founded with Sonia Wang that also specializes in screen scoring services – score preparation, MIDI preparation, orchestration, and music editing – all under their production moniker CROSSROADS. The name takes inspiration from the intersection of their varied yet shared music backgrounds. Since its founding in 2023, they have already seen much success, collaborating with numerous creatives in the greater New York area. Their most recent contribution includes music for Asian CineVision’s Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF) 2024, one of the nation’s first festivals dedicated to AAPI filmmakers and cinema.
Winner of the 2022 Oberlin Senior Concerto Competition for violin, Johnum has performed in solo recitals, chamber music series, orchestras, and improvisation jams nationwide – from hometown local cafés to New York’s Carnegie Hall. He received his B.M. in Violin Performance studying with David Bowlin from Oberlin Conservatory, where he was featured in masterclass performances for Alexander Kerr, Ayano Ninomiya, Vivian Weilerstein, and the Apple Hill String Quartet, among others. Johnum has performed with the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, Longview Symphony Orchestra, and the Westside Chamber Players, among other esteemed ensembles.
As a church musician, Johnum played piano until he received secondary organ training in Oberlin with professor Christa Rakich. Since then, he has subbed for numerous churches of various denominations in Louisiana, Ohio, and NYC. He is often praised by parishioners for his improvisations, a trait that would directly influence his creative process as a composer. In 2024, Johnum was appointed as music director and organist at the Church of the Holy Rosary-Nativity of Our Blessed Lady in the Bronx.
Johnum’s compositions have been performed and recorded in the United States and Europe by Presidio Brass, clarinet-viola duo VIOLET, and the European Recording Orchestra. His works have been premiered in various venues and institutions, including Oberlin Conservatory and the Juilliard Music School. He recently graduated with a master’s degree from NYU Steinhardt’s Screen Scoring Program as a recipient of the Dr. Arvid Kurtz and Alan Menken scholarships. He has worked with established composers in the industry, including Catherine Joy, Irwin Fisch, Mark Suozzo, Chris Haijian, and Ezequiel Viñao.
Born in Manila, Philippines, Johnum immigrated with his family to his stomping grounds of Shreveport, Louisiana. In his free time, you can find him playing games on the Switch, binge-watching any show that makes him laugh and cry, or shopping at any local store that sells spicy tuna onigiri.
Photography by Arthur Welsh
JOHNUM PALADO 