BIOS AND MEDIA
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One thing this list [of National Sawdust Log’s most read stories] proves overwhelmingly is that John Hong had his thumb square on the pulse of what moves a broad general public to open up a story. Take a bow, John.
General Bio (600 words)
John Hong’s summer earning $15,000 as a teenage door-to-door salesman would change everything. A clarinetist turned writer and marketing consultant, John remains a conservatory trained musician at heart. But four summers of sales showed him the limitless potential of clear, simple, and human communication—an area where classical music often falls short.
Consulting the arts industry since 2018, his clientele includes GRAMMY® winners, non-profit executives, orchestra CEOs, tenured professors, and instrumentalists, ensembles, conductors, and composers from six continents. (Antarctica—my DMs are open.)
John refined his passion for clear writing in a two-year tenure with Brooklyn arts institution National Sawdust, serving as Public Relations Manager and eventually becoming their first full-time Copywriter. His highlight reel includes a mini docu-series on the venue that aired on Japan’s NHK television network, and a Facebook Live collaboration between The New York Times and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo viewed over 500,000 times. Following his work with National Sawdust, Mr. Hong closely collaborated as marketing consultant with the prolific real estate agent Kimberly Hastie; his concept to film music videos of classical musicians performing in listed homes on the market resulted in over $12mm USD of real estate sales, while a TriBeCa condo’s music video earned recognition as Halstead Property’s “Video of the Year.”
Praised by New Yorker contributor Steve Smith for “having his thumb square on the pulse of what moves the public to open up a story”, John’s has penned essays on classical music in Primephonic, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music newsroom, and The Juilliard Journal. In addition, five of the 10 most read articles in the beloved and now-retired contemporary music outlet The Log Journal bear John’s byline, where he discussed topics not typically covered by the mainstream classical music press. Deeply interested in how millennials succeed in classical music, John has chronicled many of classical music’s most unique figures, including of flutist Michelle Sung‘s miraculous recovery from focal dystonia, violist turned nationally televised comedian Isabel Hagen, and Instagram star Drew “ThatViolaKid” Forde. His article on the Emmy-winning television series Mozart in the Jungle included interviews of the producers and lead actors, as well as first-person perspective from performing on the show’s final season on screen and in its soundtrack. Alongside Steve Smith, he proudly was co-founder and co-writer of the Log Newsletter, penning a weekly news digest praised by Vanderbilt musicologist and author Doug Shadle as “the easiest way to stay informed about important conversations happening in classical and contemporary music, period.”
John enjoys giving public talks to share these insights with fellow musicians and other students. He has spoken at The Juilliard School, the Lynn Conservatory of Music, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and Samford University. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he hosted classical musicians from 10 countries as part of the career-oriented Virtual Musician Summit, a two day digital conference whose thirteen speakers ranged from a presidential candidate to a Google hiring manager.
While John has gently dialed performing to an “only when it makes me happy” frequency, his clarinet career has been memorable. Critics have attributed to him delightful descriptors like “deft solo playing” (Chicago Tribune) and “performed with aplomb” (The New York Times). John has performed alongside with such as violinist Charles Yang, pianist Peter Dugan, and harpist Emily Levin, and has appeared with the American Ballet Theatre and Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival. Currently, he serves as principal clarinetist of the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra in New York City.
John’s truest distillation of personality happens on Twitter, where he tweets irreverent and occasionally useful commentary about the classical music field. The majority of his emotional baggage comes from endless nights in the music school practice rooms of Juilliard, the Lynn Conservatory, and the University of Northern Colorado, from which he also received Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance. He spends his time between New York City and Ottawa, Canada, where he lives with his longtime girlfriend, Celina.
General Bio (250 words)
A clarinetist turned writer and marketing consultant, John Hong’s summer earning $15,000 as a teenage door-to-door salesman imparted upon him the potential of clear, simple, and human communication to the consumer—a metric where classical music too often falls short. Consulting since 2018, his clientele includes GRAMMY® winners, non-profit executives, orchestra CEOs, and instrumentalists, ensembles, conductors, and composers from every major continent. (Musicians of Antarctica: my inbox and DMs are open.)
Praised by New Yorker contributor Steve Smith for “having his thumb square on the pulse of what moves the public to open up a story”, John has penned widely read essays on sexual harassment in classical music, interviews of the Emmy winning television series Mozart in the Jungle producers and lead actors, and a bevy of profiles, including of flutist Michelle Sung’s miraculous recovery from focal dystonia, violist turned nationally televised comedian Isabel Hagen, and Instagram star Drew “ThatViolaKid” Forde. Five of the ten most read articles in the beloved and now-retired new music outlet The Log Journal bear John’s byline, which also appears in Primephonic, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music newsroom, The Juilliard Journal, and his personal blog, which was recognized by The Washington Post in 2016.
John actively seeks speaking engagements to share these insights with fellow musicians and other students; he has appeared at The Juilliard School, the Lynn Conservatory of Music, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, Samford University, and on variety of podcasts.
He spends his time between New York City and Ottawa, Canada.
General Bio (125 words)
A clarinetist turned writer and marketing consultant, John Hong’s summer earning $15,000 as a teenage door-to-door salesman imparted upon him the potential of clear, simple, and human communication to the consumer—a metric where classical music too often falls short. Consulting since 2018, his clientele includes GRAMMY® winners, non-profit executives, orchestra CEOs, and instrumentalists, ensembles, conductors, and composers from every major continent. He is an occasional freelance writer on the people and issues surrounding classical music, praised by New Yorker contributor Steve Smith for “having his thumb square on the pulse of what moves the public to open up a story.” Find him on Twitter: @John_Hong.
Performance Bio (450 words)
A clarinetist, writer, and marketing consultant, John Hong has enjoyed plaudits from The New York Times for playing “quirky theatrical and musical elements with aplomb” and from The Chicago Tribune for his “deft solo playing.”
Performance highlights include appearances with the American Ballet Theatre and Lincoln Center’s MostlyMozart Festival, as well as his concerto debut with the Wiener Residenzorkester, with whom he performed Mozart in Vienna’s St. Stephens Cathedral—the very chapel where the composer was married. While he has taken the stage in venues across the world, much of Hong’s work falls outside the bounds of traditional classical performance. Engagements have taken him to play on boats in Maine, skyscraper lobbies in New York City, mansions in the Hamptons, and select guest appearances on YouTube channel JHMJams. His most notable appearance on the channel is performing La La Land’s “Another Day of Sun”, a video that would go on to rack up over 500,000 views and be recognized by Lionsgate Entertainment.
Outside performing, Mr. Hong acts as an independent marketing consultant and ghostwriter. While he has consulted real estate agents and coffee companies, his main work is with those in the performing arts: his clientele includes GRAMMY® winners, nonprofit executives, orchestra CEOs, ensembles, and musicians of all stripes from the six major continents. (The search for an Antarctican client remains ongoing.)
Praised by New Yorker contributor Steve Smith for “having his thumb square on the pulse of what moves the public to open up a story”, John has written widely read essays on sexual harassment in classical music, interviews of the Emmy winning television series Mozart in the Jungle producers and lead actors, and a bevy of profiles, including of flutist Michelle Sung’s miraculous recovery from focal dystonia, violist turned nationally televised comedian Isabel Hagen, and Instagram star Drew “ThatViolaKid” Forde.
Mr. Hong holds a Master of Music from The Juilliard School, from which he was one of ten students to receive the school’s coveted $10,000 entrepreneurship grant. He has since returned to Juilliard as a paid speaker on entrepreneurship in the arts, and has spoken about career development to students at the Lynn Conservatory of Music, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and Samford University.
He is immensely grateful to the time, patience, and wisdom of his pedagogues: Jon Manasse, Lauren Jacobson, Bil Jackson, and Janet DuBois. Currently, he serves as the principal clarinetist for the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra in New York.
Mr. Hong makes his home in Ottawa, Canada; he is often spotted in New York City’s Asian noodle establishments or, less frequently, performing in his current position as the principal clarinetist of the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra. To inquire about services or learn more, visit www.johnhong.me.
Performance Bio (250 words)
A clarinetist, writer, and marketing consultant, John Hong has enjoyed plaudits from The New York Times for playing “quirky theatrical and musical elements with aplomb” and from The Chicago Tribune for his “deft solo playing.”
Performance highlights include appearances with the American Ballet Theatre and Lincoln Center’s MostlyMozart Festival, as well as his concerto debut with the Wiener Residenzorkester, with whom he performed Mozart in Vienna’s St. Stephens Cathedral—the very chapel where the composer was married. While he has taken the stage in venues across the world, much of Hong’s work falls outside the bounds of traditional classical performance. Engagements have taken him to play on boats in Maine, skyscraper lobbies in New York City, mansions in the Hamptons, and select guest appearances on YouTube channel JHMJams. His most notable appearance on the channel is performing La La Land’s “Another Day of Sun”, a video that garnered over 500,000 views and was recognized by Lionsgate Entertainment as a featured fan cover.
Outside performing, Mr. Hong acts as an independent marketing consultant and ghostwriter. His clientele includes GRAMMY® winners, nonprofit executives, orchestra CEOs, ensembles, and musicians of all stripes from the six major continents. (The search for an Antarctican client remains ongoing.) As a result of this work, John is often invited to speak at universities; he has spoken to students at Juilliard, the Lynn Conservatory of Music, Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University, and Samford University.
Mr. Hong makes his home in Ottawa, Canada; he is often spotted in New York City’s Asian noodle establishments or, less frequently, performing in his current position as the principal clarinetist for the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra.
Performance Bio (125 words)
A clarinetist, writer, and marketing consultant, John Hong has enjoyed plaudits from The New York Times for playing “quirky theatrical and musical elements with aplomb” and from The Chicago Tribune for his “deft solo playing.” Performance highlights include appearances with the American Ballet Theatre and Lincoln Center’s MostlyMozart Festival, as well as his concerto debut with the Wiener Residenzorkester, with whom he performed Mozart in Vienna’s St. Stephens Cathedral—the very chapel where the composer was married. He makes his home in Ottawa, Canada and often can be seen in New York City performing in his current position as the principal clarinetist for the Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra.