Playing with Grandpa Age 11

Since 1993, when Dr. John Vaughan moved to Taiwan, he has performed in concerts throughout the Republic of China. His performances as both soloist and in collaboration with other well-known instrumentalists have taken him to every city and all 15 counties on the island of Taiwan, as well as the offshore islands of Penghu and Jinmen. In addition to performing classical music, John has also arranged, composed and performed for television commercials by Toyota and Far Eastone. In 2000, he composed the music for “Welcome to Shangri-La,” a musical produced and performed by Performance Workshop, Taiwan’s premiere theatre troupe. A CD of the music was recorded on the Decca label. Although involved in a variety of musical activities, John’s greatest love is teaching and he is a Professor of Piano at Soochow University in Taipei. Known especially for his innovative teaching methods, he is frequent guest speaker at universities and music schools across the country.

Born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., John began his musical studies at age four at the Lancaster Conservatory of Music. Under the guidance of Dr. Mary Vyner, he took lessons not only in piano, but also in theory and composition. John made his first appearance as soloist with orchestra at age 10, and at age 14 was chosen to perform at a concert celebrating International Year of the Child; shortly after, he performed as an accompanist in Washington D.C in the ellipse of the White House. He was equally active as a composer at a young age, and his orchestral work Sunburst Overture, composed at age 13, was performed by the Kennett Symphony Orchestra.

While studying at Oberlin Conservatory, where he was awarded the Dana Fellowship for accompanying, he won the top prize in numerous competitions, including the Louis Aikens-Charles Cadmen Piano Competition, the Penn/Mozarteum Piano Competition and the Dorothy Darr Robinson Piano Competition. He received his Master’s degree from University of the Arts in Philadelphia and, in 1993, he was awarded a Doctorate from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University. His teachers have included Yoheved Kaplinsky, Robert Shannon, Julian Martin and Eleanor Sokoloff.