John Morefield

Piano | Woodstock, Illinois | Age 31 | First Year 

Originally from Illinois, pianist John Morefield begins his tenure in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. During the Met’s 2026-27 season, he will participate in the Program’s annual concert of opera scenes, Met Orchestra workshop with Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and annual recital series held at Merkin Hall. He recently served as music staff for Opera Colorado’s productions of The Pirates of Penzance, Roméo et Juliette, and a double-bill performance of Kurt Weill’s Down in the Valley and William Walton’s The Bear. During his studies at the University of Michigan, he played pit orchestra keyboard for productions of The Turn of the Screw and Elizabeth Cree, and served as coach and rehearsal pianist for Cendrillon and Gianni Schicchi. Additional operatic engagements include coach and rehearsal pianist for Così fan tutte with Cedar Rapids Opera and Eugene Onegin with the Music Academy of the West. On the concert stage, he performed Jake Heggie’s At the Statue of Venus with soprano Hallie Schmidt at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, Colorado at a concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of the piece’s commission. Notable accolades include the Distinguished Alumni Award from McHenry County College, the Artists’ Choice Award from Opera Colorado’s Artist in Residence Program, the Collaborative Pianist Award from the Art Song Colorado Competition, and, in 2025, he was the first recipient of the Collaborative Pianist Prize from the George Shirley Vocal Competition. He is an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival Opera Coaching Fellowship, Opera Colorado’s Resident Artist Program, the Franz-Schubert-Institut, and the Music Academy of the West. He holds degrees from McHenry County College, Northern Illinois University, and the University of Michigan, where he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano under the tutelage of Martin Katz.