John Sawoski, Pianist
John Sawoski, a natural talent, works alone and with distinguished colleagues, and is dedicated to providing the highest quality musicianship to the delight of a diverse array of discriminating clients. Click here for press quotes.
Click here for piano-playing audio clips.
Accompanying and Musical Direction
John Sawoski has associate conducted and played for the 2023 revival of The Secret Garden at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. He has also musical directed and orchestrated for The Leading Ladies and Dennis McNeil, MTG‘s Saturday Night and Dear World; LATC’s Assassins; Hello Mudduh, Hello Faddah; Funny, You Don’t Look Like A Grandmother at the Santa Monica Playhouse; the legendary Peruvian operatic jazz singer Yma Sumac; the Radio City Christmas Spectacular (asst. MD); and John Forster’s Both Barrels. He has played for the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards (televised on KCET), accompanied Frank Sinatra Jr., Michael Feinstein, Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Rachel York, Lisa Vroman, Monica Yunus, Audra McDonald, Davis Gaines, Sam Harris, Lucie Arnaz, Jim Carrey, Seth MacFarlane, Johnny Crawford, Bobby Burgess, Mable King, Regis Philbin, Susan Lucci, Jack Imel, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis, Jr., Taylor Hicks, Rodney Gilfry, Lisa Vroman, Les Miserables, Wicked, Avenue Q, The Color Purple, Legally Blonde, Rock of Ages, 9 to 5, Seussical, Spamalot, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Disney’s Beauty and The Beast, The Secret Garden, Cathy Rigby’s Peter Pan, The Mark Taper Forum, The Sunrider International Industrial (produced by Carabiner), Diahann Carrol, Mabel King, Rhonda Fleming, Cardinal Archbishop Roger Mahoney, and more. Click here for piano accompanying flyer.
Recording
John Sawoski has played and conducted on numerous recording sessions, including a new arrangement of “The Best is Yet to Come” with Judy Whitmore, featured on the Grammy YouTube channel, as well as a special Mahler arrangement of Schoenberg art songs, recorded with members of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the LA Philharmonic. John Sawoski’s piano-playing can be heard on the soundtracks of numerous films, including the BBC TV movie Donald Campbell: Speed King, the HBO movie Live from Baghdad, The Starter Wife and Lemo (for Finnish composer Tuomas Kantelinen).
Click here for a list of some albums John Sawoski has arranged, played, conducted, and co-produced (ranging from solo recordings to full symphonic ensembles), including The Leading Ladies, The Feast of Lights, by Tannoz, and an album by Shmueli Schwartz called “Believe,” featuring 30 musicians recorded at 5 studios. He has played piano on a lounge revival version of “Nun Seh Ich Woll” (from Gustav Mahler’s Die Kindertotenlieder) on the Skip Heller CD, Couch, Los Angeles (click here to listen). Mr. Sawoski played on and recorded flutist Zachary Valenzuela’s recent album, Masterworks for Flute, as well as playing and arranging on Peter Sheridan’s low flute album Below (Move Records, Australia). His other recording credits include several jazz recordings, playing keyboards for Robert Drasnin’s album Voodoo II (Dionysus Records), Japanese pop CD The Adam Yurman Project (Crown Records, Tokyo), jazz musician Carl Rigoli’s albums, and for Saylor Shin (Korean vocalist and #1 hit songwriter). Mr. Sawoski has composed and played music for the children’s variety TV show pilot What’s Shakin’, played on the TV show Wings, and played and arranged music for the independent film The Woman Chaser (featured at the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center). He was also pianist for The Baloney Song, Oscar Mayer Fat Free Ham (Radio Commercial), and has performed on and produced countless demonstration recordings for numerous artists, many at his own studio.
If you are interested in having John Sawoski arrange, orchestrate, produce, or play on your recording project, please see https://lapianist.com/orchestration-and-production-services/ (the password is available by clicking here).
Symphonic Concerts and Shows
Concerto appearance with the Stanford Symphony.
Pianist/keyboardist, The Los Angeles Master Chorale Orchestra, Andrea Morricone’s Amor Symphonic Orchestra, The Pasadena Pops, The Long Beach Symphony, The Pacific Symphony, The San Bernardino Symphony, The Redlands Symphony, The New West Symphony, The Pageant of the Masters Orchestra, The California Pops, The Chamber Orchestra at St. Matthew’s, The Golden State Pops, The Orange County Four Seasons Orchestra, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, The Riverside County Philharmonic, the Capistrano Valley Symphony, Disney’s Candlelight Concert. Please click here for bio.
Appearances on camera on film, TV, commercials and More
John Sawoski has appeared on Live from Baghdad, Wings, Will & Grace, Veronica’s Closet, LA Confidential, The Wedding Singer, Frasier, Jim Carrey’s Man on the Moon, Las Vegas, and more. Click here for a gallery of images and clips from some of John Sawoski’s appearances on camera on film and TV.
Solo Piano
Music for your social functions and corporate events. John Sawoski has played for American Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Bush, and Mexican President Vicente Fox. Click the links for:
- Solo piano demo – sit back and enjoy 20 minutes of piano music
- List of suggested Tunes for Piano Entertainment
Weddings
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