A student of legendary pianist and teacher Martin Katz, John is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Collaborative Piano at the University of Michigan, where he also received his Master of Music degree in April 2022.

He recently attended the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California as a Vocal Piano Fellow, where he played for a diverse slate of projects including Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, An Evening of Staged Works by Tom Cipullo, and 1922-2022: An Original Cabaret. Last year he acted as rehearsal pianist for the University of Michigan’s production of Massenet’s Cendrillon, and performed in a concert staging of Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

An Illinois native, John graduated from Northern Illinois University in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. In 2017, his own composition, Piano Trio no. 1, Greenwood, won first prize in the Northern Illinois University Chamber Competition, and was recorded and featured on WNIU 97.9 Public Radio. John is thrilled to join Cedar Rapids Opera for its production of Così fan tutte!