BJ Griffin

John "BJ" Griffin is a performer and teacher in the Tidewater area of Virginia. BJ found his path in music playing his family’s heirloom violin in Virginia Beach 5th grade strings then later was found by the cello.  

 

     He grew up in Virginia Beach where he was a member of the Virginia Youth Symphony Orchestra and Hampton Roads Chamber players where he performed in various places nationally as well as internationally in China and Greece. He went on to study at James Madison University as a music education, cello performance, and music industry major. In addition to his cello studies, he began his singing career at JMU as a soloist with the all male a capella group Exit 245 where he traveled and performed up and down the east coast. During his time in the group, they appeared on the Best of College A Cappella with Exit 245 (Nationwide Compilation) twice. BJ appeared as a soloist in Exit 245's appearance on Voices Only 2008 (Worldwide Compilation) singing Canned Heat, made popular by Jamiroquoi. 

 

     BJ began his teaching career during college in 2007 at Shenandoah Academy High School and Elementary School where he taught private lessons and started a strings program, while also keeping up a private violin and cello studio in the Shenandoah Valley. He spent his summers at the Bay View Music Conservatory is Petoskey, MI for 4 years and has been a guest artist at different music festivals on the east coast and the mid-west. After James Madison University he taught music at Bronx Academy High School in New York City while gigging as a free-lance cellist. BJ also became faculty at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan where he taught lessons, coached sectionals, and performed in faculty recitals. While at Interlochen he explored singing and playing cello at the same time and debuted as a singing cellist with a world premiere at a faculty composers recital in 2011. 

   

  Since then, BJ has been teaching and performing in the Tidewater area as a solo artist and collaborating with other local artists.  He formed a band in 2013 called BJ Griffin and the Galaxy Groove. With his band he performs every weekend and most weekdays locally and out of town.  He has been feautred in the Virginian Pilot and performed on several local television stations.  In addition to his active performance schedule, BJ is the owner and founder of Galaxy Music Center in Viriginia Beach.

 

As performer and entrepenuer, BJ plans to expand the boundaries of musicians of all genres to a broader audience and conjure even more possibilities to spread the joy of learning and performing music.