John-Paul Muir has established himself as one of the finest pianists to emerge from New Zealand in recent years, and certainly one of the most versatile; equally at home in both classical, jazz, and contemporary genres.
In 2010, having received top honours in all of New Zealand’s major music competitions, he graduated from the University of Auckland with a Master of Music degree and moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. He has since graduated with distinction from their Artist Masters Programme and is currently enjoying a freelance career based in London.
In 2011 he was selected to participate in the Oxford Philomusica International Piano Festival & Summer Academy, and was an official pianist for the New Zealand exhibit at the 54th Venice Biennale. John-Paul was featured in a week-long series of concerts as part of the Royal Over-Seas League ARTS programme at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011 where he performed a solo jazz recital in addition to the usual classical concerts. John-Paul was also honoured to perform for Her Majesty the Queen, during the 80th anniversary celebrations of Goodenough College.
John-Paul has increasingly turned his focus to jazz and improvisation since his studies with leading New Zealand jazz pianist Kevin Field at the University of Auckland. He was Musical Director of the Hampstead Jazz Club in 2018, and currently hosts a weekly jazz night in Bloomsbury, featuring an ever-evolving roster of musicians from the London circuit. After a premiere performance at the London Jazz Festival in 2017, he released ‘The Cornerstone Suite’, a live solo piano performance of original compositions that fuse his classical heritage with more recent explorations in jazz and improvisation. His latest record ‘Home Now’ was released in November 2024 on the Ubuntu Music label to widespread critical acclaim, with headline appearances at the Vortex Jazz Club, and Jazz Cafe POSK in London, in addition to a launch in Auckland, New Zealand at the Pah Homestead.