John Kairis

John Kairis was born in a small suburb of Wilmington, Delaware. He has lived in Philadelphia since 2017. His songwriting approach has been honed through years perfecting the craft within a small circle of songwriters in Philadelphia, helmed by Gen Jr. His methods of composition and arrangement are indebted to his composition studies with Rene Orth, and then at Temple University with Emiliano Pardo-Tristan, Jan Krzywicki, Matthew Greenbaum, and Maurice Wright. Some of his stylistic form is influenced by the simple cultural underpinnings of the world in which he grew up as well as years spent playing guitar, bass, alto saxophone, and singing in the Wilmington School of Rock, taking guitar lessons from Chris Gordon and others. In his youth, his parents, a lawyer and marketing executive later turned therapist, were supportive of his musical pursuits. They set him up with piano lessons as a child, which he did not excel at until much later, taking lessons as a young adult with Michelle Cann and Michael Caruso and learning the bare bones of the classical system. His approach to music, the generation and the learning of it, has also been formed by his time working as a teacher at Germantown Friends School. His style of playing the saxophone and arranging of wind parts is influenced by his time playing in school wind bands and marching band, notably under the direction of teachers Ryan Warfel and James Tharp. Currently, he works as a mover in Philadelphia and directs the Simpson House choir. He is also deeply involved in the music ministry of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, where he has sang and played for many years under the direction of John B Hedges.