I’m Peter John, a classically trained pianist, composer and producer in Los Angeles who writes music as SPEARFISHER.
I score films and write music for theatrical trailers, including Blade Runner 2099, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and The Gates. I also write for my artist project, SPEARFISHER, and for other artists, including co-writing and co-producing “My Boy” with Jon Bellion. My cello piece From the Zodiac premiered at The Kennedy Center.
Full bio
I’m a classically trained pianist and composer with a Master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano and Composition from the University of Minnesota.
Most recently, I composed the music for the theatrical trailers of Blade Runner 2099, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and The Gates, as well as trailers for The Performance with Jeremy Piven, Chucky the TV series, and The Prom with Meryl Streep. I also scored the feature-length film The Tannery with Brianna Tam, and the award-winning short All the Reasons for Killing by David De Juan Navarro.
My music has been featured by major brands such as Nike, Vogue, Ralph Lauren, Samsung, Safeway and The Onion, and has appeared in television programs including Project Runway, Dr. Death, Northern Exposure, Claws, Dead Silent, The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, MLB and NASCAR.
As a songwriter and producer, I co-wrote and co-produced “My Boy” with Jon Bellion for his Father Figure album, and have collaborated with Grammy-winning producer Jerry Wonda of The Fugees, songwriter Neil Ormandy (James Arthur, Teddy Swims), and artists such as Son Lux, Maddie Ashman, Dan Richards (One Direction), Lissie, Transviolet, CLOVES and L’FREAQ.
In contemporary classical music, my solo cello piece From the Zodiac was premiered by Cicely Parnas at The Kennedy Center and praised by The Washington Post for its “assertive and expressive music.” It was later performed at Lincoln Center’s Merkin Hall, the Gardner Museum in Boston, and concert halls across the U.S. I also collaborated with composer Jocelyn Hagen on Hummingbird for choir and electronics, resampling the full choir to build custom synthesizers that I performed live at the premiere. The piece is published by Graphite Publishing.
As a pianist, I’ve won numerous national awards and been a finalist in international piano competitions. Highlights include performing Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto as soloist with the National Orchestra of Belarus, along with recital and concerto performances across Europe, Asia and the United States.