John Karkosiak

Applied Faculty, Electric Guitar

John Karkosiak has his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Guitar from the Jackie McLean Institute at the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, where he studied under hard bop style guitarist Richard Goldstein. He also studied extensively under international touring and recording artist Dan Wilson at Cuyahoga Community College. 

John is part of the applied guitar faculty at Cleveland State University. He teaches in a music-focused manner with a heavy emphasis on ear training, applied music theory, fretboard visualization, improvisation, and creative practice.

John frequently performs in the northeast Ohio region in venues such as Mahall’s, Bop Stop, Brothers Lounge, and Lock 3. He has played frequently with composer Buck McDaniel and Jacob Kirkwood, including at Cleveland’s new music festival: NEOsonic Fest. He is also a former member of Akron-based funk/fusion band Acid Cats, which performed locally and across the east coast. In 2019, he led his own band and performed a set of original compositions at Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival. He recently worked as the mastering engineer on trumpeter/composer Tommy Lehman’s new album through his own music production project “Landfish.”