John Goulart enjoys the reputation of being one of Canada's finest guitarists. He first came into prominence in 1992 after winning the First Prize in the inaugural Great Lakes International Guitar Competition. In that same year he was also a finalist and prize-winner in the Guitar Canada and Guitar Foundation of America Competitions. John’s other international prizes include the 38th annual Tokyo Guitar Contest and the Alirio Diaz Competition in Venezuela.

Since then, his concerts and recordings continue to receive praise from critics, audiences and fellow musicians across the country.

John Goulart first took up the Classical Guitar at age 17. His private studies soon led him to Wilfrid Laurier Universitywhere he  graduated with his Bachelor of Music Performance. His principle teachers were Tibor Puskas and Lynne Gangbar. He then went on to study with Manuel Barrueco at the ManhattanSchool where he graduated with a Master of Music Performance degree. He continued his studies at the Banff Centre for the Arts where he was awarded the Andres Segovia Scholarship and the Jenny Belzberg scholarship. At this point he began his competitive carreer in which he won five major prizes on three continents. He was also awarded several Alberta Foundation grants to compete and perform abroad.

John has appeared with several of Canada's leading orchestras including the Calgary Philharmonic, the Regina Symphony, Northern Chamber Orchestra, the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestre de Concerts Populaire (Montreal Symphony). As a  recitalist, he has appeared in major centres across Canada, the United States, Europe, South America and Japan. He has toured the Azores,Portugalsponsored by the Portuguese  government and has appeared frequently as guest artist in several major Portuguese summer festivals. Many of these have been broadcast on Portuguese radio and television. Other concerts in Chile, for the 4th International Guitar Festival at Viña del Mar; and in Japan, for the Canadian Embassy; and at Oberlin College, for the Great Lakes Festival, have been highlights in a sparkling career.          

 As a recording artist, John has six releases to his credit. His recording Intimate Recital was selected as best recording of 1995 by CKUA Radio, nominated for an Alberta Recording Industry Association Award (ARIA) and praised by Sound and Vision Magazine as "Sonically outstanding and musically satisfying". His following release Take 2 was also nominated for an ARIA. His album Toward the Millennium won an ARIA for Best Classical Artist on Record in 1999. His following album Malagueña featuring Soprano Karen J. Minish, has also won an ARIA and was nominated for a Prairie Music Award for best classical album. John both plays and conducts on his latest recording Aranjuez featuring music by Rodrigo for guitar and orchestra with members of the Calgary Philharmonic.  All of his recordings have received extensive airplay on CKUA Radio in Alberta and across Canadaon the CBC Radio Network.

John often exchanges his guitar for the conductor’s baton. He founded and is current musical director of Bow Valley Chorus. Selected conducting credits include Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and Vespers, John Rutter’s Requiem, Magnificat, Te Deum and Mass of the Children, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, the Faure Requiem, and yearly performances of Handel’s Messiah. He was also the musical director of the Bow Valley Millennium Choral Event where he conducted Mozart’s Requiem with the Bow Valley Millennium Choir and members of the Calgary Philharmonic. He has also recently participated in the National Conductors Symposium where he collaborated with Master conductor Jon Washburn and conducted the Vancouver Chamber choir in concert.                                                            

John lives in Banff and continues to tour, record, produce, adjudicate, and conduct masterclasses across Canada and abroad.