Originally from New York City, John Steiner arrived in San Francisco in 1989. Steiner works professionally in the Bay Area's music scene as a performer, composer, producer, pianist, keyboardist, bassist, choir director, and music educator. He holds a B.A. in Music from San Francisco State University.
Steiner's music is drawn from many influences and forms, including American Popular and Jazz, Western Classical, Romantic, Impressionist and Minimalist. He finds recent inspiration in Popular and Classical music from India and Pakistan.
Steiner has taught piano, bass and guitar at the East Bay Center for Performing Arts and at the Synergy School. He is pianist for the San Francisco Church of Religious Science and the First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael. His performance and recording credits include:
The Old Joe Clarks: a nostalgic folk ensemble
Jesus: a Mexican folk singer
The Venusians: a cyber-pop adventure
Rinde Eckert's Navigators: a musical for the new millennium
Opera Piccola: an Oakland-based theater group
Tempus Fugitive: a folk-rock trio (Kranzke Records)
Shabaz: a fusion of Pakistani and American styles (Mondomelodia).
Steiner has produced a CD in the dance genre entitled "Johnny's House," and has recently completed a CD of original music for piano and cello entitled "Out of the Blue" (Philomuse). Internationally, he has recorded, produced and toured with Jennifer Holiday, New Edition , Bobby Brown and Patti Austin.
Steiner also works in film and television genres. He composed the score for "Jump Fence," a film by independent filmmaker Al Hernandez, which was included in the PBS series "American Independents." Steiner scored the film "Chemistries," by Daven Gee, which was acclaimed by The San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, The Ann Arbor Film Festival and The Rotterdam Film Festival. Steiner composed music for "Deadly Vision," which was aired as an ABC "Movie of the Week."
Steiner enjoys hiking in California's Sierra Nevada, the American Southwest, and at Mount Tamalpias in Marin County, California. A love of nature inspires and sparks his creative spirit.
PHOTO: STEFAN COHEN
DIGITAL IMAGING: ART101