Learning MainStage

For two decades, Julian Velard has turned heads as an all-around entertainer and creative force in the worlds of music and comedy. His technical versatility and one-of-a-kind aesthetic has made him ubiquitous across media - a piano man turned renaissance man, from the stage to the screen to the smartphone. Loyal listeners and fans hold Velard as one of the best-kept secrets in the arts. In the mid-’00s, he posted a batch of demos to Myspace that led to a major label bidding war and a stint as a London-based pop star. His albums and live shows drew rave reviews from The Guardian and Time Out. Before long, he returned to his native New York, becoming a regular on The Howard Stern Show and NPR’s Ask Me Another, an artist-in-residence at The Public Theater, and a singer-songwriter with a cult following in (of all places) The Netherlands. His one-man musical Please Don’t Make Me Play Piano Man earned rave reviews, with Broadway World hailing it among the best shows of 2020. Velard’s uncanny fluidity as a performer has made a mark in the worlds of commercial media and event planning. His unique vision and storytelling chops have powered virtual and in-person events for YouTube, Yelp, Twilio, The Whitney Museum and others. His songwriting, production skills, and distinctive baritone have caught ears in ads for Google, Coca-Cola, Buzzfeed, Wix, Audible and Aldi Supermarkets. And he’s seen songs and videos go viral thanks to coverage from Mashable, The A.V. Club and even the New York Knicks. Beyond his solo work, Velard has happily shared the spotlight with a galaxy of talent. He’s been seen performing alongside musicians like Jamie Cullum, Paul Carrack, Goldfrapp, Amy Macdonald, and comedians Will Ferrell, Reggie Watts, Paul Scheer, Jack McBrayer and Rob Huebel. And his know-how as a one-man band, road crew and traveling showman has led to a variety of platforms to deliver the goods, including hosting live piano karaoke at Sid Gold’s Request Room, teaching music and songwriting online for Linkedin Learning, and the creation of Julian Velard’s Virtual Lounge, an original venue streaming exclusively on Twitch.