A Little About John: Bio and Musical Roots
John Cheek is a pianist and multi-disciplinary musician whose talent manifest itself early in life. At age 3 1/2 he began piano lessons and made his professional debut with the Arkansas Symphony at age 13.
Today, John dedicates his time to writing short pieces for piano and pedagogy, performing solo and with the NYC-based Omni Ensemble. He lives in Little Rock (AR) and in Interlochen (MI) where he served on the faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp for 12 summers.
From Little Rock to the Big Apple
A resident of New York City for 20 years, John Cheek threw himself into one of the most competitive and varied musical environments in the world. As he built his reputation, he performed with members of the leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan opera orchestra, and the New York City ballet orchestra.
While freelancing, he also gained credibility by winning prizes and accolades in music competitions throughout the world, including the American Music Scholarship Award and the 1986 Franz Liszt competition in Budapest.
Collaborations
In 1982, together with flutist, David Wechsler, John co-founded New York's Omni Ensemble, an electro-acoustic group based in Brooklyn. As its name implies, the group enjoys performing a great variety of music, from the baroque to their own compositions, which have been featured regularly on WNYC and WQXR radio.
He was a regular guest pianist with Clarion Concerts in upstate New York, performing standard repertoire with some of New York’s great chamber musicians.
John developed a special relationship with composer Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, recording his Second Piano Sonata and premiering the Third Piano Sonata, written especially for him. He has three solo recordings of American piano music on JRI and Albany records.
Educational History & Professorship
In 1974 John Cheek attended Indiana University, where he studied with Walter Robert and Menahem Pressler. While still an undergraduate, he won two concerto competitions and received a Performer’s Certificate for his junior recital.
Moving to NYC, John combined a busy career as a freelancer with two graduate degrees, studying with Gilbert Kalish at SUNY/Stony Brook and with Constance Keene at the Manhattan School of Music.
On the faculty of Lenoir-Rhyne University (NC) for 20 years, John taught not only music courses, but also co-taught interdisciplinary classes with English, Philosophy and Science professors. He considers his interdisciplinary work as the most meaningful, as it helped him understand music from from the vantage point of other disciplines.
In spring, 2001, John was a Fulbright Senior Scholar, performing and teaching American music in Yerevan, Armenia at the Yerevan State Conservatory.
Get In Touch
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