Meet John Burke | Composer and Pianist

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Burke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Well, I had a job I thought I liked, but I got fired.

After college, I found myself in quite a routine. I worked as a Spanish translator for a health insurance brokerage. A good ol’ 9-5 job. At the time, I was also in graduate school at Georgia State University and working as a part-time choir director on the weekends. Music was a small part of my life, but I quickly found myself doing more and more of it. I was playing gigs, teaching lessons, and even composing. I released two solo piano albums while keeping up this 9-5 life, and eventually I let my music life invade my working life.

I became an awful employee. I slacked. I took long lunches. I constantly worked on my music website. I even saved all of my music documents (contracts, set lists, etc.) in a folder on my work computer. But my entitled, naïve mind was broken when my boss took me into his office, said he found my music folder, and canned me on a Friday at 4 pm.

After losing that job, I quickly scrambled for work but, as luck would have it, I was soon hired as a part-time accompanist at a new church. Since then, music took over. I released more albums, played hundreds of gigs, and even made it to the Grammys.

So, I never planned to have an artistic career, but now that I’ve been a working musician for nearly 10 years, I couldn’t imagine life any other way.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a composer and pianist. In 2016, my solo piano album, Orogen, was nominated for Best New Age Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. I’ve scored theatre, film, video games, and have released multiple instrumental albums. I play gigs and concerts throughout the year, and I direct music.

A career in the arts is no more difficult than a career in dentistry, engineering, or interior design. It can be very difficult at times, but artists must believe in their work and exercise their creativity regularly. Having support from friends and family is also very important. I was very lucky to have a supportive and encouraging family.

So much of my music comes from my energetic personality. My music is heavily influenced by video games and film scores, and while I enjoy the soft and contemplative sounds of a piano, I’m not afraid to bang the hell out of that thing to get the sound I want.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in the North Georgia Mountains, just about an hour and fifteen north of Atlanta. I’d take my friend hiking and finish the day with a beer from a local brewery.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All of my beautiful family. My amazing and supportive wife. My loving parents and grandparents. They are truly the reason for everything.

Website: www.johnburkemusic.com

Instagram: http://instagram.com/johnburkemusic

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnburkemusic/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/johnburkemusic

Facebook: http://facebook.com/johnburkemusic

Youtube: http://youtube.com/johnburkemusic

Image Credits
River West, Photographer