10 Questions with John Bullard
We are thrilled to have renowned classical banjoist, John Bullard, join us as a performer in our upcoming Spring Salon Concert on April 19, 2025! Keep reading below to find out what inspired him to play the banjo, his favorite piece to play, and what music he listens to in his free time.
Don’t miss your chance to hear John perform! Snag your Spring Salon Concert tickets before they’re gone!
Q1: Where did you grow up?
A1: In Goochland County, Virginia.
Q2: Where do you live now? What do you love about where you live?
A2: Goochland County, VA. It is a beautiful rural area that offers peace, tranquility and many wildlife encounters.
Q3: Why and how did you first learn to play the banjo?
A3: I heard dueling banjos on the radio. My parents found a banjo teacher who came to our house and taught me the Earl Scruggs style (Bluegrass) of banjo playing.
Q4: What are your day-of-performance routines?
A4: Arrive early and have a long and relaxing warm up and run through some pieces undisturbed.
Q5: What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you in a concert?
A5: Not funny, but many years ago me and my guitar playing duo partner were just starting a program for an audience and literally at our first downbeat a man keeled over in the first row and died of a heart attack. Not funny - but very memorable.
Q6: What’s your dream piece of music you’d love to play?
A6: J.S. Bach’s 5th Suite for Solo Cello - BWV 1011.
Q7: What is your favorite piece of music to play?
A7: The Prelude from Bach’s Suite for Solo Cello - BWV 1007
Q8: What is your go-to music to listen to?
A8: Anything performed by Andres Segovia and the Bach Cello Suites.
Q9: Do you ever play bluegrass music in addition to classical?
A9: Yes. I try to keep it up - I love bluegrass.
Q10: Do you have any pets?
A10: 2 dogs and 3 cats - at present.
Over the course of his performing and recording career, John Bullard has invited audiences to share in a transformative revelation: to experience the artistic marriage of banjo and classical music. “Absolutely enchanting,” writes critic Graham Rickson of the UK-based The Arts Desk. “A musical education and experience that broke genre barriers,” noted Morgan Morrison, program director for the performance space The Barns of Rose Hill.
As a classically trained musician and the first graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Music to earn a degree in performance with the banjo, John Bullard has established a critically praised performing and recording career dedicated to exploring the artistic marriage of banjo and classical music. Bullard understands that accepting the banjo—a “folk” instrument with a complex pedigree—into the classical fold is a challenging proposition for traditionalists; the guitar once had to navigate a similar journey to mainstream acceptance. But through three album-length recordings, live performance, and workshops, Bullard continues to introduce the classical banjo to a growing audience worldwide.
Bullard’s concert repertoire includes solo, duet, and quartet performances of works from Bach, Vivaldi, Handel and others of the Baroque Period, along with later-period pieces by Schumann and others. More recently, Bullard has begun featuring new work by contemporary American composers, including a Caprice in D minor in the Romantic style, from composer Frank Mullen, and a set of 24 Preludes for Solo Banjo, commissioned from Adam Larrabee. In addition, Bullard is now working on a new collaboration with the genre-fusing composer Joshua Stamper.
More information, including recent videos of Bullard in performance, can be found at JohnBullard.com