The Wasserman Music agency has hired on veteran agents Andrea Johnson, Emily Yoon and Erika Noguchi.
Wasserman says the three new agents add to the agency’s strength in symphonic performances, legendary artists with massive catalogs of hits, and in developing intellectual property for the live performance space.
Johnson’s roster includes veteran stars like David Foster, Katharine McPhee and Straight No Chaser, innovative classical crossover groups Vitamin String Quartet and The Piano Guys, live appearances by writer/actor Candace Bushnell, and cabaret performances for Jane Lynch, among others.
Yoon and Noguchi represent the more than three dozen properties of Disney Concerts, which produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras and presenters on a worldwide basis.
Yoon and Noguchi also represent other IP-driven symphonic performance properties, as well as a diverse group of world-class orchestral conductors.
“I’ve known and respected Andrea for over 20 years and recognize her to be a creative, focused and passionate agent, ” said Wasserman Music Vice President Seth Malasky. “Emily and Erika’s roster has dramatically enhanced our offerings in the area of IP-driven live performance projects, many of them from one of the world’s largest media companies.
“Andrea, Emily and Erika are great additions to Wasserman Music and perfectly complement our existing strengths in the Legacy, Heritage, Adult Contemporary and Symphonic worlds.”
Johnson, Yoon and Noguchi said in a joint statement that they’re thrilled to join an agency that is already a powerhouse in cultivating strong, sustainable businesses for artists who tour on the strength of massive, decade-spanning songbooks.
“We are excited to plug into the incredible global business Wasserman has created from music to brands to sports and beyond,” the agents said. “Wasserman Music’s outstanding suite of services, from vast live booking expertise to brand partnerships to artist marketing to digital strategy and beyond, makes this a perfect place for our clients to grow and enhance their careers, and we’re excited to work with this team of agents whom we’ve admired for years.”
Wasserman Music’s clients include legends like Barenaked Ladies, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Herbie Hancock, Steve Miller Band and many more; as well as intellectual property-driven performance concepts like The Masked Singer Tour, DC In Concert, and Celtic Woman’s Home For Christmas – The Symphony Tour.
The agency also represents genre-defying virtuosos like A.R. Rahman, Bobby McFerrin, Bruce Hornsby, Chris Thile, Idina Menzel, k.d. lang, and Ledisi, as well as orchestral properties built around a single artist’s catalog, including the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration, Peter Hook presents Joy Division Orchestrated, and Stewart Copeland: Police Deranged.
The team led by Malasky has booked symphonic performances for major artists including Phish’s Trey Anastasio, India.Arie, Maxwell and Ben Folds.
Andrea Johnson began her career at classical music management company ICM Artists, representing the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, the Russian National Orchestra, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. After several years, she moved to The Agency Group to start a performing arts and symphony department in 2007. She spent seven years there building her roster before joining ICM Concerts in 2014, where she later became a partner. Johnson grew up on a farm in Ohio, and earned a classical music degree from Miami University in Ohio.
Emily Threlfall Yoon is an accomplished music industry executive specializing in the ideation, development, and sales of commercial symphonic events globally. Yoon began her career at Columbia Artists, leading the company in becoming a world leader in commercial symphony events and cultivating trusted relationships with orchestras, presenting organizations and promoters throughout the world. For more than a decade, Emily has been a key partner with Disney Concerts in the development of a roster of over 30 concert packages. Disney Concerts’ packages include a variety of formats, such as film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts from Disney’s portfolio of studios, including Disney’s feature animation and live action studios, Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel. She also represents orchestral projects for Square Enix’s acclaimed video game FINAL FANTASY as well as additional Film and TV symphonic properties including Warner Bros presents Bugs Bunny At The Symphony, The Holiday in Concert, Scream Live to Film, and more. Yoon also represents a list of world-class, diverse conductors and orchestrators.
Erika Noguchi comes to Wasserman Music with seven years of experience as an agent, artist manager and executive producer specializing in symphonic events worldwide. After graduating from the NYU Music Business Program, Noguchi began her career at Columbia Artists and quickly grew to Associate Manager. Noguchi has worked closely with Emily Yoon during her time in the industry, developing numerous live-to-picture symphonic concerts. During her time at Columbia Artists she enjoyed producing shows like Joe Hisaishi Symphonic Event: Music from the Studio Ghibli Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Chicago THE MUSICAL – In Concert, and continued servicing over 30+ Disney Concerts packages and representing conductors including Chris Dragon at ICM and now at Wasserman Music.