Biography

“He has it. He has it in every way…he has a fantastic technique…he communicates very well with the public…”
Classic FM (NZ)

New Zealand born John Couch is an Australian based classical guitarist and the Artistic Director of New Zealand’s premiere classical guitar festival, the Taranaki Classical Guitar Summer School (TCGSS). Couch is a highly qualified guitarist holding a Masters of Music in performance and research (pedagogy), Post-Graduate Diploma in performance and research, Bachelor of Music and is a Fellow of the Trinity Guildhall (London).

Couch has featured on four CD album recordings: A Fairytale… with Variations (2001), Desdemona’s Song (2005), Andres New Shoes (2008), Ask Me Tomorrow (2015), and The Passing of a Black Star (2017). With an interest in creating new music for the classical guitar, Couch has commissioned and had work dedicated to him from leading composers such as Marek Pasieczny, Vincent Lindsey-Clark, Gary Ryan, Richard Charlton, Marian Budos, Sally Greenaway, Christopher Norton, Jesmond Grixti, Campbell Ross and Ivana Troslj. He has given many world premier performances and his latest CD brings a selection of these works together.

“An extraordinary musician, a perfect technique:”
Edition Beauce, Quebec (Canada)

As a chamber musician Couch has performed and recorded in the New Zealand Guitar Duo and the New Zealand Guitar Quartet. As a soloist he has performed in festivals and concert series around Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North America and Asia. He has recorded for and played on ABC Classic FM (Australia), 2CN (Australia), Classic FM (New Zealand), TVNZ (New Zealand), Radio Canada and HCMTV7 (Vietnam), and has featured as a soloist with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

"...the fingers of John Couch danced across the strings"
Schwetzinger Zeitung (Germany)

Couch has won international and national guitar and music competitions in New Zealand and Australia. He has been a finalist and prizewinner in many other international competitions including Taiwan international guitar competition, Tokyo international guitar competition and the 36th International Guitar Competition “Michele Pittaluga” (Italy).

"His richly sustained tone and phrase shaping in the slow movement of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez single him out as an outstanding player of international standing"
Ian Dando (Christchurch Times)

John Couch
MMus, MBA, FTCL, GDipMus, BMus