Audiences, clients, and fans are always thrilled by the versatility, captivating arrangements and professionalism of this young pianist and composer. Kaplan, through the inspiration of his family began studying the piano at the age of seven.
He studied classical music with Doreen Sterba DeZur and jazz with Mark Streder. He was an outstanding pianist for his age, achieving top honors on the piano competition circuit. Today, John-Paul has a wide repertoire of songs ranging from classical and oldies music to easy listening and popular standards. His musical style and unique arrangements have attracted many fans that enjoy fun and entertaining piano music.
He has performed for such celebrities as Roger Williams, B.B. King, Ramsey Lewis, Harold Ramis, Vanessa Williams, Goran Visnic, Mark Forrest, Bill O'Reilly, and Tony Bennett, among many others. Kaplan has been entertaining audiences since 1996. He has performed at parties, hotels, churches, and other public and private events, traveling throughout the world. Kaplan received rave reviews from his performances in Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Florida, Michigan, Italy, Austria, and Canada.
Venues that enjoyed his music include The Peninsula Hotel, The Drake Hotel, The Four Seasons Hotel, The Capitol Hilton, The Cheney Mansion, churches worldwide and other music establishments. From 1998-2004, he also directed and accompanied dramas/musicals at Northridge Preparatory School. In the spring of 2008, John- Paul performed his own arrangements and compositions to an adaptation of Treasure Island at The Stage One
Theater in Des Plaines, Illinois. He received rave reviews for his work. John-Paul founded Keys of Time Music and Messenger Productions and is the current executive producer. His first CD release "This Is The Day" received rave reviews worldwide. The album achieved high radio play and culminated with the prestigious Unity Award for Best Instrumental Album of The Year. During the Unity Awards, he was also nominated for Best New Artist of the Year and Best Song of the Year.
His next release was “Keys of Time: My Favorite Piano, Volume 1”. This album includes well loved piano classics arranged with a modern touch and flair. It was released worldwide on October 16th. It was nominated for a Unity Award for Best Instrumental Album of the Year. “Keys of Time: Romantic Piano Classics Volume 1” is currently in production and will feature music by Chopin, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff and more…
His latest album "Walk with Him" is in final production and will be released in January 2009. My Favorite Christmas is also due out this Christmas season. John-Paul is also busy writing new music and arrangements for his busy 2009 tour which includes concerts in Kuwait, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hawaii, and many other worldwide stages. John-Paul is an active member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, BMI, the International Songwriters Guild, the Catholic Association of Musicians, the Catholic Marketing Network, the Recording Academy and the American Federation of Musicians. Recently, John-Paul was distinguished as a Kawai Recording Artist. John-Paul is also a public speaker for Christian relationships and chastity. He recently founded Forte Global Solutions, an e-commerce marketing and development company. In his free time, John-
Paul enjoys sailing, aviation, traveling the world and culinary arts.
