One of the leading collaborative pianists of his generation, John Churchwell enjoys a distinguished career on the concert stage and in the nation’s leading opera houses. For fourteen years, John served as Head of Music for San Francisco Opera. This followed fourteen years as an assistant conductor with both San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. He has assisted on more than 175 productions and collaborated with many of the world’s leading conductors, including James Levine, Nicola Luisotti, James Conlon, Sir Donald Runnicles, Sir Charles Mackerras, Marco Armiliato, and Fabio Luisi. He is currently Co-Director of the Lehrer Vocal Institute at the Music Academy of the West, where he has served as a teaching artist since 2000.

A committed advocate for American opera, Churchwell has played a central role in numerous world premieres, including John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby, Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Mark Adamo’s The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Christopher Theofanidis’ Heart of a Soldier, Philip Glass’s Appomattox, Stewart Wallace and Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne, John Adams’s Girls of the Golden West, and Huang Ruo’s The Monkey King. From 2005 to 2008, he served as the official accompanist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

An active recitalist, Churchwell regularly partners with today’s most celebrated singers, including Renée Fleming, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Diana Damrau, Sasha Cooke, and Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, appearing at major venues such as Carnegie Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, the Mondavi Center, and the Hollywood Bowl.

A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Churchwell holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, Tufts University, and the University of Minnesota, and is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program.