About Me
Johnny Elliott is a multi-genre pianist and teacher who is equally comfortable (and capable) accompanying Mozart arias as he is performing Elton John hits. Having studied with Brian Moll and Fred Haas — themselves former students of Martin Katz and Oscar Peterson, respectively —, Johnny values the versatility he has developed from a unique combination of classical and jazz lineages. He believes strongly that gifts and kindnesses are meant to be propagated from person to person, and that the gifts and kindnesses he has received from his music teacher are of incalculable value. Thus, as a teacher, he finds great purpose in sharing knowledge, joy, and tools for personal expression with the people around him, especially those of the next generation.
Johnny’s performance highlights include arranging and performing a synthesizer-reduction of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album, debuting an original jazz tune at the historic Wally’s Jazz Café in Boston, and leading the classically-oriented recital “Four Queer Centuries.” This May, he will perform his most ambitious recital yet “My Family Drum,” which draws on his many educational lineages while highlighting recent inspirations from the music of Native American composers.
Artist Statement
When you treat someone with kindness, they are more likely to treat others with kindness. Pass along the love you receive and people you don’t even know will feel more loved because of it. Throughout my life, my music teachers have shown me incalculable kindness and — through teaching, performing, and songwriting — I propagate their kindness into the world.
Anti-discriminatory and Equity Policy
I am committed to teaching, working with, and playing music by people of all backgrounds — regardless of race, ethnicity, disability status, socioeconomic and gender identities, sexual orientation, and other immutable characteristics. I reject the idea that “great music” is inherently “great” because a historically homogeneous and hegemonic academy has deemed it so; I instead evaluate music independent of its reputation. I also actively seek out music (for myself and for my students) by composers and songwriters whose cultures and identities are historically underrepresented in performed music, and — in approaching music this way — have been especially inspired by pianistic styles innovated within Black culture and by classical music written by North American Indigenous composers.