John reed
John Reed is a concert pianist and fine art composer in the Eastern United States. He has performed throughout the NYC and Philadelphia tristate area, including performances at Alice Tully Hall in NYC, and at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, PA.
John is known for his piano works, art songs, and choral works. His compositional style includes tonal, atonal, and post-tonal works, without stylistic limitations. Known for provoking melodies, atypical harmonic sequences, and intricate design, John’s music is inspired by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Lyadov, Rachmaninoff, Faure, and many more.
John studied with renowned teachers Paul Hoffmann, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, and Stefan Young. He was taught counterpoint, harmony, and orchestration in the style of Nadia Boulanger of the Paris School. As a pianist, John performs with a unique blend of Russian and Austrian techniques from his studies with Hoffmann.
John graduated Summa Cum Laude from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, in Princeton, New Jersey. During his studies there, he was a awarded a scholarship for his high academic marks, and received the Ruth and Raymond Young Composition Prize in 2017 for his orchestral work, “The Events of a Normal Day”, which was premiered by the Westminster Community Orchestra in April 2017, under the baton of Ruth Ochs.
From 2016-2019, John was Music Director at Our Saviour Polish National Catholic Church in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. From 2018-2019, John was also Music Director at Spotswood United Methodist Church in Spotswood, New Jersey. In early 2019, John became the new organist for Holy Assumption of the Mary Mother of the Church Parish in Roebling, New Jersey.
In July 2019, John became the Head Organist for Mary Mother of the Church Parish, working with Music Coordinator Alfonso Gonzalez to grow their music program.
In late 2019, with violinist Laura Petillo, John premiered the first recording of Laurent Uhres's Sleep, from his Ballet "White", produced by the Warsaw Ballet.
John is married to fellow composer Gabrielle Reed. They reside on their scenic estate in Allentown, New Jersey, far from the noise of the city.
To further their student's growth as musicians, John and Gabrielle host monthly student recitals. In addition to these student performances, John and Gabrielle routinely introduce newly composed music by living composers to help promote the arts.