Originally from the UK, John Beard is a Chicago based musician & teacher.

 

John initially studied jazz guitar in his home town of Manchester, U.K. with Mike Walker & then in London, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Having subsequently relocated to Chicago, he became involved with the vibrant scene there, playing with different generations of local musicians (Bill Yancey, King Fleming, Geof Bradfield, Josh Abrams) at venues such as the Green Mill, Hothouse, Jazz Showcase. 

 

A trip to Rio de Janeiro in 2004 was transformative - and since then John has been exploring various genres of Brazilian music and performing on cavaquinho, 7-string guitar and percussion. John has studied in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Curitiba as well as with Brazilians in Chicago. His teachers include Alessandro Penezzi, Rogerio Souza, Douglas Lora & Ben McMunn. A regular attendee at Brazilian music workshops (Centrum Choro, California Brazil Camp), he performs in Chicago with local groups Swing Brasileiro, Bossa Tres, Grant Ziolkowski Trio, Bloco Maximo, Evanston Escola de Samba, Planeta Azul, Choro Das Onze & Chicago Choro Club.

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Qualifications:

Licentiate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London U.K.

BEng Electroacoustics, University of Salford U.K.

MEng Acoustics, Pennsylvania State University