John Briner
Multi-Instrumentalist | Songwriter | Composer
World Music | Latin Hip-Hop | Roots Music
📍 Chilliwack, BC, Canada 🇨🇦
John Briner is a musician, entrepreneur, and legal and business adviser based in British Columbia. A multi-instrumentalist and accomplished songwriter, he has been creating and performing music since his early teens, blending influences from World Ethnic Music, Roots Music, and Spanish Guitar. His work has earned him multiple songwriting and composition awards, including the prestigious John Lennon International Songwriting Contest, with several of his songs featured in radio and television media.
John holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music and Germanic Studies from UBC (1999), followed by a Bachelor of Laws from UBC and a Master of Laws in International Business Law from Osgoode Hall. To support his education, he taught music privately and at the Western Conservatory of Music throughout his late teens and early 20s.
Musical Training & Influences
John has studied under world-class musicians across diverse traditions, including:
🎵 John Reischman – Mandolin
🎵 Clive Titmuss – Classical Guitar & Lute
🎵 Dr. Alan Thrasher – Dizi, Pipa, Dan Bau, Shakuhachi
🎵 Dr. Michael Tenzer – Gamelan & Suling
🎵 James Hamilton – Sitar
🎵 John Lee Sanders – Piano
He has also participated in master classes with legendary artists such as Zakir Hussain (Tabla), Ali Akbar Khan (Sarod), and Rajeswari Padmanabhan (Veena).
Performance & Philanthropy
John has performed with ensembles such as the UBC Chinese Music Ensemble, Vancouver Chinese Symphony Orchestra, and the UBC Balinese Gamelan. In 2012, he co-founded the Music Access Society, a charity dedicated to providing free music instruction for underprivileged youth.
Writing & Other Interests
Beyond music, John is a prolific writer, having contributed as an Arts Reporter for UBC’s Ubyssey newspaper and as a Contributing Writer for Corporate Knights magazine. His writing covers business, law, music, culture, and the hop-growing and craft brewing industries.
John and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Chilliwack, BC, with their blended family of eight children. He enjoys boxing, hiking, and yoga, as well as traveling and language learning—achieving levels of fluency in German, French, Italian, and Spanish while continuing to expand his proficiency.
John has participated in various charitable ventures, including running the NYC marathon to raise funds for various charities and co-founding the Music Access Society, a charity providing free music instruction for disadvantaged youth. He’s also participated in the Climb the Wall campaign to raise funds for the BC Lung Foundation.
John is an experienced and prolific writer, having served as an Arts Reporter for UBC’s Ubyssey newspaper and a Contributing Writer for Corporate Knights magazine. He writes frequently on topics involving business and law, music and culture, and the hop growing and craft brewing industries.
Some of his hobbies include swimming, hiking and yoga. He enjoys traveling and has developed levels of fluency in German, French, Italian, and Spanish, and he enjoys studying to further them.
Meet John Briner
John Briner is a respected entrepreneur, musician, and legal and business adviser. Since 2014, he has worked in the hop distribution and craft beverage industry. John founded and managed Northwest Hop Farms in Chilliwack, BC, where he developed a worldwide import/export business and built a network of hundreds of international customers and thousands of social media followers. He recently co-founded and launched Tangled, a sparkling hop water beverage company based in Abbotsford, BC.
John received a BA in Music and Germanic Studies from UBC in 1999, followed by a Bachelor of Laws from UBC and a Master of Laws in International Business Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. In 2004, he founded Metrowest Law Corporation in Vancouver, a law practice dealing with securities, M&A, and real estate. He continues to work as a legal and business advisor and consultant for firms in the mining, real estate, and agricultural industries.
John has been a musician and songwriter since his early teens. He’s won multiple songwriting and composition competitions, including the prestigious John Lennon International Songwriting Contest. He continues to write and produce music, with several of his songs finding placement in radio and television media.
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