Biography

Johnathan Gibbs is a New York City-based choral conductor, tenor, artistic director and cultural organizer whose work brings together classical musicianship, community-building and contemporary popular culture. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of NYC Otaku Choir, a 70+ member community chorus specializing in choral performances of music from anime, video games and Asian popular culture. He also serves as Tenor Section Leader with The Dessoff Choirs under the direction of Dr. Malcolm J. Merriweather.

A graduate of Rust College, Delta State University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Johnathan studied conducting under Zebedee R. Jones and Dr. Maurice Weatherall, voice under Dr. Christopher Meerdink and Dr. Ollie Watts Davis and piano with Dr. Norman Chapman and Dr. Karen Fosheim. His choral experience includes the Memphis Symphony Chorus, Mississippi Boulevard Sanctuary Choir under Dr. Leo Davis, the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus and The Dessoff Choirs. He is also a member of the David I. Martin Music Guild, Inc. of the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc. and the American Choral Directors Association.

As a performer, Johnathan has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Lincoln Center, as well as on broadcasts including Good Morning America and the VH1 Trailblazer Honors. His performance credits include work with Hugh Jackman, Audra McDonald, Chita Rivera, Alan Cumming, Kathleen Battle, Demi Lovato, Martha Wash, Peppermint and Bruce Vilanch, along with a featured performance at Joan Rivers’s memorial.

Johnathan founded NYC Otaku Choir in 2024 to create a dedicated choral home for music rarely represented in traditional American concert programming. Under his artistic direction, the ensemble has grown into a large, inclusive community of singers performing repertoire drawn from anime, video games and Asian popular music alongside contemporary choral works. His work with the choir extends beyond the concert stage to conventions, workshops and collaborations, including programming at PAX East and Anime NYC. Through Otaku Choir, Johnathan is developing new opportunities for singers, conductors, arrangers and other artists to engage seriously with music rooted in fandom and Asian popular culture.

Before turning his focus increasingly toward choral leadership, Johnathan built a substantial career in digital media and community advocacy. He was part of YouTube’s first generation of independent creators, beginning in 2008, when online identity-based storytelling was still in its infancy. He later hosted the award-winning podcast This QPOC Life, exploring LGBTQ+ life through the perspectives of people of color. In 2020, he founded the Black and Asian Alliance Network, an initiative focused on dialogue and solidarity between Black and Asian communities. That work contributed to his receiving a Brooklyn Free Speech Award for social justice and media equity.

Johnathan has also spoken and presented for organizations and events including PAX East, FlameCon, the Asian Mental Health Collective, Nielsen Media and the Asian Pacific Virtual Showcase. Across music, media and community work, his career reflects a longstanding interest in building spaces where culture, identity and creativity can meet. As a Black and Filipino American artist, he brings that perspective to his work while continuing to expand the possibilities of what community choral music can look and sound like.