John Huston
As a performer, John has distinguished himself as one of the most exciting and expressive guitarists of his generation. When he first came on the scene, the Southern Arts Foundation hailed him “…one of the finest young guitarists today”, Guitart International has praised him as “a formidable talent”, The Fort-Worth Star Telegram described his “considerable energy and impressive virtuosity”, and La Stampa has called his playing “…mesmerizing.” The accolades for Mr. Huston’s performance are numerous. He won First Prize in the 2001 Aranjuez Strings International Guitar Competition. Additionally, he has won prizes in a number of other major national and international competitions including the Concours International de Guitare de Lachine and the American String Teachers Association National Guitar Competition, among others.
John has performed in the finest concert halls in the Southeast United States, including Atlanta Symphony Hall, Spivey Hall, the Shwartz Center for Performing Arts, the fabulous Fox Theater, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, City Springs Theater, Legacy Hall at Columbus, and Hugh Hodgson Hall in Athens. John has been frequently invited to perform at international guitar festivals including the 2006 Guitar Foundation of America Convention, the 2011 Guitar on the Mediterranean Festival in Cervo, Italy, the 2009 Austin Peay State University Summer Guitar Workshop and Competition, the 2011 Fort Worth Guitar Guild Music Festival and the 2011 and 2012 University of Louisville Guitar Festival and Competition. Additionally, John has recorded two solo CD’s: Three Centuries of Music for the Classical Guitar (1997), and Nocturno (2002). Guitart International hailed Nocturno as “a truly satisfying CD with great depth and a program rich in diversity with much to say…devastatingly beautiful and challenging… the performance is at once expansive and yet conveys the intimacy required for sustained interest.” John’s collaboration with guitarist Richard Todd resulted in the disc Pura Vida (2011) as the Huston-Todd Guitar Duo. His ongoing collaboration with Angelina Galashenkova as the duo 9-String Theory resulted in their amazing CD 9-String Theory (2014).
John has a varied and diverse performing schedule. In addition to frequent performances as 9-String Theory, John performed with the NuEnsemble Trio with Cleveland P. Jones and Okorie Johnson. In April 2019, John was featured in eight sold-out performances of Maria de Buenos Aires by Astor Piazzolla with Daniel Binelli and the Atlanta Opera. In recent years, John has also performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Balalaika Society, the Atlanta Guitar Guild Orchestra, the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra, and the Morehouse and Spelman College Choirs, among others.
John is an experienced music educator with sincere dedication to student development. John was the classical guitar professor at Georgia State University from 2001-2009. During his time at GSU, John oversaw and initiated the development of new guitar coursework and the GSU Classical Guitar Ensembles. From 1999-2003 John was the guitar professor at Berry College, where he introduced similar innovations to the guitar program there. John taught general music and musicology courses as well.
Throughout his career, John has always treasured the unique relationship between teacher and student. His private teaching studio started while still a student in Iowa, and developed dramatically in Atlanta where he has been a featured instructor at a number of different institutions including the Georgia Academy of Music. John’s students have performed at international music festivals and competitions, performed with national touring bands, become influential in music business and film production, and attended highly competitive universities and Ivy League schools, and have become professional musicians. John continues his private teaching in his home studio.
John was the Founder of the Atlanta Guitar Guild, a 501(c)3 non-profit arts organization supporting the performance, study, and community connection through guitar. In his capacity as President of the Atlanta Guitar Guild from 2012-2015, John oversaw the conceptualization of the AGG, the drafting of the by-laws, served as the Chair of the Board of Directors, produced concerts and fundraisers for the AGG, and oversaw the initiation of the Pilot Guitar Education Program at Mays High School in Atlanta, among other roles. The Atlanta Guitar Guild is an active Atlanta arts institution to this day.
John is also a cancer survivor. John holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Georgia, a Masters degree in Music from Georgia State University and a Bachelors degree in Economics from the University of Iowa. Since leaving Iowa, John has lived in his adopted home town of Atlanta, where he lives in the historic Inman Park neighborhood with his wife and son. When not making or listening to music, John enjoys reading, biking, running, laughing, loving, and speculating on the true nature of all things.