Invite John-Paul to your next corporate or private event.



“John-Paul Kaplan holds his own Keys to the Kingdom, All 88 of them!” – said the Chicago Sun-Times in a recent review. John-Paul is internationally recognized as one the world’s most versatile and entertaining pianists. His style, interpretation, and mastery of modern music has captivated audiences worldwide. John-Paul’s debut album, “This Is The Day”, won The Unity Award for Best Instrumental Album of the Year and The Instrumentalist Magazines, First Chair Award. He is also designated as a Kawai Recording Artist. Kaplan has maintained an active performing schedule in his consistently growing career, ever since he won the first prize at The State of Illinois Music Olympics. His extensive appearances have taken him across the globe including engagements at Carnegie Hall, The London City Theater, The Kennedy Center, and The Lincoln Center, among many others.

 

John-Paul has amassed a broad performing repertoire in his young career; varying from Classical to Broadway and everything in between. He is also a dedicated composer and producer, having written over 50 songs internationally. His debut album “This Is The Day” received high acclaim worldwide. It is a collection of popular songs and hymns, recorded as a companion CD to Adoration, Prayer, and Reflection. Today, ‘This is the Day’ is considered to be one of the most popular Instrumental Catholic albums in the world. The United Catholic Music Video Association recognized his album in several categories; winning for Best Instrumental Album of The Year, a nomination for Best New Artist of the Year and also a nomination for Best Song of the Year for his melodic interpretation of “Reflections of Prayer.”

 

His next release was “Keys of Time: My Favorite Piano”. This album included well loved piano classics arranged with a modern touch and flair. It includes songs by Gershwin, Porter, Webber, and Kaplan himself. The album was nominated for Best Album of the Year in 2007.John-Paul also produced several songs and albums for International Irish Tenor, Mark Forrest. Their first collaboration was on the album “Come Walk With Me”. “I am so blessed to be able to convey the messages of Christ through music”, says John-Paul. This was a first for him, combining spoken word with music. Their latest release, “You Raise Me Up” is full of inspirational and uplifting well loved songs.

 

His latest album, Merciful and Gracious, was recently released internationally.

 

John-Paul and Mark can be often found performing together at venues worldwide. In December of 2009, John-Paul and Mark performed together at New York’s Lincoln Center. A 1st generation American, Kaplan comes from a Czechoslovakian immigrant family. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Kaplan studied classical piano with Doreen Sterba De Zur and Jazz with Mark Streder. During his classical music studies, Kaplan was the winner at many state and National piano competitions. John-Paul continued to study Business and Marketing at Elmhurst College.