J.J. Sheridan is one of Ireland's leading pianists and composers. The son of professional musicians he started tuition at age 5, and in his late teens was accepted on scholarship to the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. He studied piano there with John O'Sullivan and Valerie Walker, and composition with A.J. Potter. J.J.'s love for his native Irish music started early. His earliest recitals featured his concert arrangements of Irish airs and dances. At 18 he composed on commision "Saint Canice's Mass" which brought him national notices in Irish Media. (Saint Canice's was name of parish catholic church in his home town. The town had recently built a new church and J.J.'s original music was played at the opening dedication.) One year later he won the Esposito Medal at Dublin's Feis Ceoil (Ireland's premier piano competition). In subsequent years his concert programmes featured standard classical repretoire and works of contemporary Irish composers, including Sean O'Riada and T.C. Kelly.

American visitors to Ireland will remember J.J. as one of the stars of "Irish Eyes are Smiling" at the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney from 1977-1982. He also appeared in Jury's Irish Cabaret in Dublin. He toured the USA for the first time in fall of 1982 with stars from Killarney and Dublin cabaret shows. Among the noted venues were Carnegie Hall and Boston Symphony Hall.

J.J. currently resides in Atlanta, GA and continues to enjoy and international career as recitalist and soloist. His one man show "The Art of Turlough O'Carolan" is enjoyed at various colleges and venues throughout the world.

He records exclusively for Trigon Recordings. His many albums include: The Art of Turlough O'Carolan, Irish Piano Classics, Irish Piano Memories, The Andrew Lloyd Webber Piano Album, Sydney Smith - Original Piano Compositions and Transcriptions. and An Irish Piano Christmas. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.