Alumni Band to Headline Benefit Concert for Detained Journalist Morgan Milardo, who manages the Berklee Popular Music Institute, shares the story behind the concert and how people can help support efforts to free Evan Gershkovich, a reporter detained in Russia.
By
Tori Donahue
May 24, 2023
Berklee alumni band Mom Rock will perform at the benefit concert for Evan Gershkovich at Taffeta in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Friday, June 23.
Image courtesy of the Berklee Popular Music Institute
Morgan Milardo, managing director for the Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI), understands the transformative power of live music. Her course, BPMI Live, prepares students for major festival gigs across the U.S., not just as performers but as A&R reps, publicists, production assistants, and more. Prior to Berklee, she spent years managing and touring with independent bands. Now shes using those skills-and her Berklee community relationships-to organize a benefit concert for a family friend, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was detained in Russia on March 29 while on a reporting trip and accused of espionage. The concert will take place at Taffeta in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Friday, June 23, at 8:00 p.m. We recently caught up with Milardo to learn more about the event.
Morgan Milardo, managing director, Berklee Popular Music Institute
Can you describe your personal connection to Evan Gershkovich? Evan is a very close friend of my younger brother, Luke Milardo. Luke and Evan met in their freshman year at Bowdoin College; they almost immediately became great friends. They are both incredibly smart, adventurous, and hilarious. Their friend group is really special-there's about seven or eight people in the group who are all extremely committed to each other. While the group has been living all over the globe for the past few years since they graduated, they do a great job of keeping in touch regularly and showing up for important milestones, such as weddings, funerals, and everything in between. Evan is no exception to that. While he's been living his dream in Russia for years, he's stayed close to those who love him back home. Luke actually just received a letter from Evan in prison. While Luke can't share specific details, he confirms Evan is still his witty, spirited self, and seems to be doing well, given the circumstances.
Tell me a little bit about how the idea for a concert came together-music is your livelihood, but how did you conceptualize this benefit concert? The idea for a benefit concert came from a recent conversation with my brother. Luke was telling me about how Evan loves indie music, and how one of his favorite things to do in Russia was to pop into small clubs and check out the local music scene. I just thought Hey, I love indie music too, and happen to be pretty decent at putting on shows. How about a benefit concert?
I believe free press is essential to a healthy and strong society. When our journalists are under attack, so is our democracy. I am proud to be raising money and awareness for these causes.
- Morgan Milardo
Around the same time, the owner of the new venue Taffeta reached out to me about having BPMI artists play at the venue. The timing was almost serendipitous. I pitched the idea, and he loved it. From there it all came together very quickly. I feel very grateful to have such amazing support from the venue, artists, and local businesses supporting the event.
What are some of the Berklee ties to the June 23 benefit concert? Berklee alumni band Mom Rock is headlining the show, and current Berklee band Little Fuss, who are performing at Boston Calling, is joining them. Mom Rock was a BPMI artist in 2021; we booked them to perform at Music Midtown in Atlanta. They were incredibly fun to work with, and I've been wanting to bring them back to New England for a meaningful show for a while now. Little Fuss is a Berklee band that has been on my radar for a few years. I'm a big fan, and I'm super excited to have them on the bill. And lastly, Blue Light Bandits, a rock band from Worcester, is managed by Jonathan Bricker, an assistant professor in the Music Business/Management Department at Berklee.
Can you tell us more about where the funds for the concert are going? Why are these causes important to you and those organizing the show? All proceeds will be split directly between the Gershkovich family to put towards efforts to bring Evan home, and an amazing nonprofit called the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which promotes the freedom of press worldwide.
CPJ is really important to me, as unfortunately, Evan is not the only person close to my family who has been negatively affected by attacks on free press. My oldest and dearest friend, a talented and committed public radio reporter, has also experienced serious harassment, violent vandalism, and intimidation linked to her important reporting. I believe free press is essential to a healthy and strong society. When our journalists are under attack, so is our democracy. I am proud to be raising money and awareness for these causes.
Are there any details or aspects of the benefit concert you'd like to share leading up to the event? Yes, a few things! Thanks to the support of over a dozen local businesses, we'll be raffling off some amazing prizes at the event, including gift cards to restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, salons, spas, and more. Additionally, every person who attends the concert will receive a coupon for a free service at a local spa, thanks to a generous donor. We'll also have exclusive merchandise for sale, donated by a local screen printing company. All proceeds from raffles and merchandise will also be donated. It's been amazing to see just how many people support free press and stand with Evan.
More information about Evan ca
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
11/07/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH, July 11, 2025 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Fou...
11/07/2025
If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...
11/07/2025
L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert and General Manager of L3Harris Waco facility Sean Ling held a ce...
11/07/2025
ARLINGTON, Va. WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washingt...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission has emerged as one of the central players in the broadcast TV landscape in 2025, with its deregulatory policies sparking h...
11/07/2025
Calrec will introduce usability, customization and system enhancements across its entire range of Argo consoles during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterda...
11/07/2025
LONDON Encompass Digital Media said it will support live and on-demand viewing of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across multiple global regions for sports enterta...
11/07/2025
Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year....
11/07/2025
CARY, N.C. SmallHD has launched the Quantum 27, a new 26.5-inch Quantum-Dot OLED monitor designed to deliver postproduction image quality in a compact, set-frie...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau and Tegna have entered into a consent decree that will settle an investigation into the accidenta...
11/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luj n (D-N...
11/07/2025
Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbe...
11/07/2025
Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks ...
11/07/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Client...
11/07/2025
2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transit...
11/07/2025
A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP Leaders from the HuskerVision and Lawo share their IP learnings By SVG Staff
Friday, July 1...
11/07/2025
CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimble...
11/07/2025
Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalItaly
Link copied to clipboard
July 11, 20...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Season 1
Season 2
Se...
11/07/2025
AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit
The...
11/07/2025
Ceramics - the humble mix of earth, fire and artistry - have been part of a global conversation for millennia.
From Tang Dynasty trade routes to Renaissance pa...
10/07/2025
The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...
10/07/2025
Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...
10/07/2025
This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...
10/07/2025
The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...
10/07/2025
NEW YORK - July 10, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, today announced that it appointed Richard Pacheco as head of ...
10/07/2025
Local newscasts don't exist in a vacuum. News directors and station management constantly evaluate what's working, what isn't and perhaps most impor...
10/07/2025
Lawo has announced that Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien, HdM) has comprehensively modernized its central recording studio after selecting an I...
10/07/2025
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has opened early-bird registration for the Media Technology Summit, which will take place in a ne...
10/07/2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. TNDV Television has launched Aspiration 35, a new version of its 40-foot Aspiration truck reimagined for cinematic multicamera productions....
10/07/2025
BURBANK, Calif. Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermedi...
10/07/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. Actus Digital will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver at...
10/07/2025
The Federal Register has published a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Notice seeking comments on its ownership rules that lists a d...
10/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
10 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard...
10/07/2025
In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often strugg...
10/07/2025
As one of the world's largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its Golden 2045 Vision - an initiative tapping digital technologies and...
10/07/2025
10 Jul 2025
VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...
10/07/2025
5G for all? What the DFL's use of Easy5G and RefCam could mean for events in...
10/07/2025
Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-...
10/07/2025
Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New...
10/07/2025
Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions I...
10/07/2025
FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First P...
10/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
The Very Small Creatures
Jaime's Treetop Tales
Emerald
BooSnoo! Christmas Mashup
Pip & Posy's Spooktacular Party
The Very Sm...
10/07/2025
Thursday 10 July 2025
Brand new rewards are coming to Sky customers, with free ...
Alumni Band to Headline Benefit Concert for Detained Journalist Morgan Milardo, who manages the Berklee Popular Music Institute, shares the story behind the concert and how people can help support efforts to free Evan Gershkovich, a reporter detained in Russia.
