John Briner

Multi-Instrumentalist | Songwriter | Composer
World Music | Latin Hip-Hop | Roots Music
📍 Chilliwack, BC, Canada 🇨🇦

John Briner is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and accomplished songwriter based in British Columbia. He has been creating and performing music since his early teens, blending influences from World Ethnic Music, Roots Music, and Spanish Guitar. His work has earned him multiple songwriting and composition awards, including the prestigious John Lennon International Songwriting Contest, with several of his songs featured in radio and television media.

John holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Germanic Studies from UBC (1999), followed by a Bachelor of Laws from UBC and a Master of Laws in International Business Law from Osgoode Hall. To support his education, he taught music privately and at the Western Conservatory of Music throughout his late teens and early 20s.

Musical Training & Influences
John has studied under world-class musicians across diverse traditions, including:
🎵 John Reischman – Mandolin
🎵 Clive Titmuss – Classical Guitar & Lute
🎵 Dr. Alan Thrasher – Dizi, Pipa, Dan Bau, Shakuhachi
🎵 Dr. Michael Tenzer – Gamelan & Suling
🎵 James Hamilton – Sitar
🎵 John Lee Sanders – Piano

He has also participated in master classes with legendary artists such as Zakir Hussain (Tabla), Ali Akbar Khan (Sarod), and Rajeswari Padmanabhan (Veena).

Performance & Philanthropy
John has performed with ensembles such as the UBC Chinese Music Ensemble, Vancouver Chinese Symphony Orchestra, and the UBC Balinese Gamelan. In 2012, he co-founded the Music Access Society, a charity dedicated to providing free music instruction for underprivileged youth.

Writing & Other Interests
Beyond music, John is a prolific writer, having contributed as an Arts Reporter for UBC’s Ubyssey newspaper and as a Contributing Writer for Corporate Knights magazine. His writing covers business, law, music, culture, and the hop-growing and craft brewing industries.

John and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Chilliwack, BC, with their blended family of eight children. He enjoys boxing, hiking, and yoga, as well as traveling and language learning—achieving various levels of fluency in German, French, Italian, and Spanish while continuing to expand his proficiency.