John Johns   John Johns holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he was a scholarship student of Aaron Shearer, and from George Peabody College.  From 1972 to 1980 he was Artist-Teacher of Guitar at the Blair Academy of Music.  He served as Assistant Professor in the School of Music at George Peabody College from 1976 to 1980 and is presently Associate Professor of Guitar at the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University where he is Chair of the Guitar Department.  Under his direction, Blair's guitar program has been recognized as one of the most highly recommended internationally.  In 1997 Professor Johns celebrated 25 years of performing and teaching in Nashville with a concert dedicated to his friend and mentor Chet Atkins. In March, 2000, Johns played two concerts in France. He was the featured performer from the USA at the Nice Guitar Festival and gave a masterclass at the Modern Art Museum in downtown Nice. In addition, he made his Paris debut at a concert for United States Ambassador Amy L. Bondurant of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Members of the international diplomatic community and French government attended the performance, as well as American film actress Olivia de Havilland.

"He has a feeling for the questions and answer character of motovic interplay, a knack for using dynamics to highlight structure, a natural way of shaping phrases.  The slow movement of Giuliani's C-major sonata was very lyrically done, and Mr. Johns' way of energizing little thematic fragments brought a Haydenesque quality in an opening movement that usually registers as bel canto pleasantry."
   The New York Times

• Johns first received national recognition when he appeared on the Westinghouse-ABC television special, "A Pride of Guitars."
• He performed to critical acclaim on National Public Radio's "Concert Guitar," which featured some of the world's leading guitarists, among them Manuel Barrueco, Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Leo Brouwer, Sharon Isbin and Oscar Ghiglia.
• His recording, "John Johns Plays Bach, Bennett, Brouwer and Others," has received international acclaim by leading guitar periodicals and journals.
• He has been a featured performer on "Recital Hall" on Nashville public television.