John Solari is an Ann Arbor based pianist, currently pursuing a doctoral degree in piano performance at the University of Michigan studying under Professor Christopher Harding. He earned his master’s and undergraduate degrees in the same field from Arizona State University while studying with Dr. Baruch Meir. An avid collaborator and soloist alike, John has appeared onstage nationally and internationally. As a guest artist, he has performed in the 2023 Scarab Club Mozart project, the 2022 PRISMS Contemporary Music Festival, the 2020 Walled City Music Festival, and the 2019 American Liszt Society Festival. He has also attended many music festivals as a student performer, including the 2022 Accademia Chigiana Summer Academy, the 2021 PianoTexas Festival, and the 2018 White Nights Piano Festival, among others.
John Solari has been privileged to perform with such established musicians as trombonist Jim Miller of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and regularly collaborates with student performers on competition winning recordings and performances such as the 2024 University of Michigan Concerto Competition, 2023 France Music Competition, and the 2023 International String Bass Competition. His solo awards include the first prize at the 2022 NSALAZ Competition, second prize in the 2021 MTNA Piano Competition, and silver prize in the 2021 Conero International Competition. He is comfortable both playing the music of the traditional Western Classical canon and working with living composers and has been involved in numerous world premiere performances and recordings.