Professor of Music, School of Performing Arts
DPhil (Oxford), MMus (London), BA (Hons)(Dartington), LTCL (tchg), LTCL (perf)
Joined the University of Otago in 1995
Associate Director of the Centre for Global Migrations
Former Associate Dean International (Humanities), Head of Department (Music), Programme Coordinator (Performing Arts)
Tel +64 3 479 8884
Email henry.johnson@otago.ac.nz
Henry is an internationally respected music researcher. He has published numerous books, chapters and scholarly articles with major publishers and top-tier journals in his fields of expertise. His primary field of teaching and research is the study of people making music. His research outputs mainly have a social focus, with much work crossing other disciplinary fields (Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Island Studies, Diaspora Studies, Performance Studies, and Cultural Studies). The ethnographic component of his research methodology includes original field study in diverse contexts, where he engages with music at the intersection of theory and practice.
Teaching
- MUSI 103 Music in Popular Culture
- MUSI 104 World Music
- MUSI 105 Music Matters
- MUSI 265 Music and Theatre
- MUSI 266 Film Music
- MUSI 268 Performance in Asia and the Pacific
- MUSI 269 Popular Music 2
- MUSI 365 Music and Theatre
- MUSI 366 Film Music
- MUSI 368 Performance in Asia and the Pacific
- MUSI 369 Popular Music 3
- MUSI 386 Community Project
- MUSI 486 Community Project (Advanced)
Background including creative and research interests
A prolific and internationally acclaimed researcher in music, Henry has undertaken extensive field study on three continents: Europe, Asia and Australasia. His prestigious appointments have included Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Postdoctoral Fellow, Visiting Academic at the University of Oxford, Visiting Professor at Kagoshima University, and Visiting Researcher at Seikei University. He is the recipient of numerous research awards, including grants from the Royal Society of New Zealand and the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange. He was a collaborator in the European Cooperation in Science and Technology research initiative, “Investigating Cultural Sustainability”.
Henry is Associate Director of the Centre for Global Migrations, past President of the New Zealand Asian Studies Society, and past Chair of the International Council for Traditional Music Australia and New Zealand Regional Committee. As a performing musician, he has performed koto and sitar on BBC television and radio, and continues to perform extensively on taiko in Aotearoa.
Henry is currently researching the history of Chinese music in Aotearoa New Zealand with the support of the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange:
Supervision
Areas of research supervision
- Ethnomusicology
- Asia
- Aotearoa New Zealand
- Diaspora studies
- Music education
Selection of PhD supervision topics
- Music education
- Music diaspora
- Pacific music in New Zealand
- Music and language in Hawaiian music
- “Indie” guitar-pop
- Musical poetics in Ireland, Scotland and Nova Scotia
- Musical instruments
- Music therapy
- Scottish piping
- Acoustemology, environmental influences and sustainability
- World music education
- British contemporary folk music
- Jazz
- Rotenese gong music
Other musical and community activities
- Performer with O-Taiko, Dunedin's Japanese-inspired drum group
Publications
Johnson, H. (2022, September). Performing China in Greymouth in 1897: Identity and cultural representation. Verbal presentation at the Changing Arts, Changing China Research Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Johnson, H. (performer) (2022, 6 August). O-Taiko, performance for Hiroshima Day Memeorial, Museum Reserve, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].
Johnson, H. (performer) (2022, 29-30 July). O-Taiko, Taiko-4-Tonga: 24-hour charity performance for Tongan earthquake/tsunami relief, First Church, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].
Johnson, H. (2022, June). Promontories, islands and military history. Verbal presentation at the 16th International Small Island Cultures (ISIC) Conference: Creativity, Ingenuity, and Practice, [Hybrid].
Johnson, H. (2022). The piano in a Chinese New Zealand diaspora setting: Musical biography and cultural identity. Proceedings of the 12th Asian Conference on Cultural Studies (ACCS) & the 12th Asian Conference on Asian Studies (ACAS). IAFOR. Retrieved from https://acas.iafor.org
Johnson, H. (2014). The shakuhachi: Roots and routes. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 136p.
Authored Book - Research
Gunji, S., & Johnson, H. (2012). A dictionary of traditional Japanese musical instruments: From prehistory to the Edo period. Tokyo, Japan: Eideru Kenkyūjo, 349p.
Authored Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2010). The shamisen: Tradition and diversity. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 145p.
Authored Book - Research
Guo, N., Hasegawa, S., Johnson, H., Kawanishi, H., Kitahara, K., & Rausch, A. (2005). Tsugaru: Regional identity on Japan's northern periphery. Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago Press, 149p.
Authored Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2004). The koto: A traditional instrument in contemporary Japan. Amsterdam: Hotei, 199p.
Authored Book - Research
Hibino, K., Ralph, B., & Johnson, H. (Eds.). (2021). Music in the making of modern Japan: Essays on reception, transformation and cultural flows. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 215p. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-73827-3
Edited Book - Research
Anderson, V., & Johnson, H. (Eds.). (2020). Migration, education and translation: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on human mobility and cultural encounters in education settings. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 229p. doi: 10.4324/9780429291159
Edited Book - Research
Chapman, I., & Johnson, H. (Eds.). (2016). Global glam and popular music: Style and spectacle from the 1970s to the 2000s. New York, NY: Routledge, 300p.
Edited Book - Research
Edmond, J., Johnson, H., & Leckie, J. (Eds.). (2011). Recentring Asia: Histories, encounters, identities. Leiden, The Netherlands: Global Oriental, 346p.
Edited Book - Research
Johnson, H. (Ed.). (2010). Many voices: Music and national identity in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars, 180p.
Edited Book - Research
Moore, E., Xin, L., Johnson, H., & Patterson, R. (Eds.). (2010). China stopover Beijing: A cross-curricular resource in music, art, English and social studies. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press, 64p.
Edited Book - Research
Prentice, C., Devadas, V., & Johnson, H. (Eds.). (2010). Cultural transformations: Perspectives on translocation in a global age. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 347p.
Edited Book - Research
Johnson, H., & Jaffe, J. C. (Eds.). (2008). Performing Japan: Contemporary expressions of cultural identity. Folkestone, UK: Global Oriental, 323p.
Edited Book - Research
Johnson, H., & Moloughney, B. (Eds.). (2006). Asia in the making of New Zealand. Auckland University Press, 294p.
Edited Book - Research
Johnson, H., Moore, E., & Patterson, R. (Eds.). (2006). Malaysian stopover: A classroom resource in Music, Art, English and Social Studies. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press, 48p.
Edited Book - Research
Bendrups, D., Burns, R. G. H., & Johnson, H. (2021). Rama and the worm: A performance-based approach to applied ethnomusicology. In H. Schippers, W.-Y. Lin & B. Zhang (Eds.), Applied ethnomusicology: Practices, policies and challenges. (pp. 167-176). Beijing, China: Central Conservatory of Music Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Hibino, K., Ralph, B., & Johnson, H. (2021). Introduction. In K. Hibino, B. Ralph & H. Johnson (Eds.), Music in the making of modern Japan: Essays on reception, transformation and cultural flows. (pp. 1-9). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-73827-3_1
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2021). Western musical elements in Japanese koto music: Affective media in sonic, visual and behavioural context. In K. Hibino, B. Ralph & H. Johnson (Eds.), Music in the making of modern Japan: Essays on reception, transformation and cultural flows. (pp. 39-58). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-73827-3_3
Chapter in Book - Research
Anderson, V., & Johnson, H. (2020). Introduction. In V. Anderson & H. Johnson (Eds.), Migration, education and translation: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on human mobility and cultural encounters in education settings. (pp. 1-9). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429291159
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2020). "With a little help from my friends": Translation, education, and linguistic activism in a context of migration. In V. Anderson & H. Johnson (Eds.), Migration, education and translation: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on human mobility and cultural encounters in education settings. (pp. 89-102). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429291159
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2020). Invercargill's orchestral sounds: Historical and contemporary perspectives. In S. Bodkin-Allen (Ed.), Making music at the bottom of the world in Southland, Aotearoa/New Zealand. (pp. 7-24). Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2019). Artistic activism, cultural diplomacy and Aotearoa New Zealand. In J. Beattie, R. Bullen & M. Galikowski (Eds.), China in Australasia: Cultural diplomacy and Chinese arts since the Cold War. (pp. 107-122). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2019). Multiculturalism in No. 2: Representing New Zealand in screen and sound. In A. Zalipour (Ed.), Migrant and diasporic film and filmmaking in New Zealand. (pp. 89-104). Singapore: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-1379-0_5
Chapter in Book - Research
Fleury, C., & Johnson, H. (2018). Tourism and resilience on Jersey: Culture, environment, and sea. In J. M. Cheer & A. A. Lew (Eds.), Tourism, resilience and sustainability: Adapting to social, political and economic change. (pp. 85-102). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2018). Context, community and social capital in the governance of a New Zealand orchestra. In T. K. Ramnarine (Ed.), Global perspectives on orchestras: Collective creativity and social agency. (pp. 44-57). Oxford Scholarship Online. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780199352227.003.0003
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2018). The politics of popular music heritage. In S. Baker, C. Strong, L. Istvandity & Z. Cantillon (Eds.), The Routledge companion to popular music history and heritage. (pp. 134-143). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
Bendrups, D., & Johnson, H. (2017). Ethnomusicology in Australia and New Zealand: A trans-Tasman identity? In K. Gillespie, S. Treloyn & D. Niles (Eds.), A distinctive voice in the Antipodes: Essays in honour of Stephen A. Wild. (pp. 455-470). Canberra, Australia: Australian National University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Fleury, C., & Johnson, H. (2017). The Minquiers and Écréhouse, Channel Islands. In G. Baldacchino (Ed.), Solution protocols to festering island disputes: 'Win-win' solutions for the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands. (pp. 103-107). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. [Contribution].
Chapter in Book - Research
Chapman, I., & Johnson, H. (2016). Introduction: Glam rock in the global imagination. In I. Chapman & H. Johnson (Eds.), Global glam and popular music: Style and spectacle from the 1970s to the 2000s. (pp. 1-10). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2016). New Zealand cinema, national identity and Don McGlashan. In G. Gil-Curiel (Ed.), Film music in 'minor' national cinemas. (pp. 171-190). New York, NY: Bloomsbury.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H., & Kawamoto, A. (2016). "Visual-kei": Glamour in Japanese pop music. In I. Chapman & H. Johnson (Eds.), Global glam and popular music: Style and spectacle from the 1970s to the 2000s. (pp. 199-213). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2015). A tale of two Guernseys: Tourism branding and island hopping in an archipelagic context. In G. Baldacchino (Ed.), Archipelago tourism: Policies and practices. (pp. 121-136). Farnham, UK: Ashgate.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2015). Language revitalisation, sonic activism and cultural sustainability: Voicing linguistic heritage on Jersey. In E. Auclair & G. Fairclough (Eds.), Theory and practice in heritage and sustainability: Between past and future. (pp. 117-131). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2015). Under the Kiwi gaze: Public Asian festivals and multicultural Aotearoa New Zealand. In G. Ghosh & J. Leckie (Eds.), Asians and the new multiculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand. (pp. 119-155). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.
Chapter in Book - Research
Adriaansz, W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Koto. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 3). (2nd ed.) (pp. 207-209). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Hughes, D. W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Chijin. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 514). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Hughes, D. W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Dora. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 2). (2nd ed.) (pp. 75). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Hughes, D. W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Kane. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 3). (2nd ed.) (pp. 108). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Hughes, D. W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Kokyū. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 3). (2nd ed.) (pp. 192-193). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Hughes, D. W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Mukkuri. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 3). (2nd ed.) (pp. 525-526). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Hughes, D. W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Shakujō. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 4). (2nd ed.) (pp. 486). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Hughes, D. W., & Johnson, H. (2014). Tsugaru shamisen. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 5). (2nd ed.) (pp. 98). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). 'Shake, rattle and roll': Responses to 3/11: Constructing community through music and the music industry. In R. Starrs (Ed.), When the tsunami came to shore: Culture and disaster in Japan. (pp. 139-165). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill.
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). Anmabue. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 104). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). Atarigane. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 138-139). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). Azusayumi. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 157). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). Batsu. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 278). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). Bonshō. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 373). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). Charumera. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 508). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
Johnson, H. (2014). Chikusō. In L. Libin (Ed.), The Grove dictionary of musical instruments (Vol. 1). (2nd ed.) (pp. 515). New York: Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].
Chapter in Book - Research
