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
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
12/05/2026
CVP, one of Europe's leading suppliers of professional video and broadcast solutions, has appointed Randy Koeman as Sales Manager, Netherlands, marking anot...
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.
