About Me

Conun Pappas is a pianist and composer whose artistry is respected in multiple genres. New Orleans has been a jazz piano town since Jelly Roll Morton claimed he invented the jazz piano. Conun Pappas, Jr. is a native son of the Crescent City and a successor to a long line of great New Orleans piano players. Signs of his talent showed at the early age of six when he created a tune on a keyboard to accompany his sister while she was practicing a dance school routine. His parents enrolled him in classical piano lessons for formal training where his skill and talent blossomed. While attending the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Jazz Camp, Conun discovered jazz and auditioned for enrollment at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) where he was accepted. He studied and performed with New Orleans greats such as Donald Harrison and Alvin Batiste. His journey from the jazz program at NOCCA led to his graduation from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, which placed him in a markedly unique tradition.

Pappas co-leads “The Bridge Trio” with drummer Joe Dyson and bassist Max Moran. He also performs in New York City with distinguished artists such as Brianna Thomas and Majid Khaliq. In 2014, he received a Piano Legacy Award from the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In addition to performing, he is also an active educator; working with organizations such as Carnegie Hall, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. He also served as the musical director at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in the Bronx from 2014 -2019.

His compositions have earned Pappas global recognition with "125th and Broadway" being designated as an NPR Heavy Rotation Public Radio Song of 2013 and "Onward" as an International Songwriting Competition semi-finalist in 2023. 

Pappas' music was also placed on television networks such as VH1, MTV, American Heroes Channel, Bravo, and Discovery Channel. In 2016, Conun received a Gambit 40 Under 40 Award for his bright and innovative work in the arts.His playing and compositions are firmly entrenched in the style and vocabulary of modern jazz, but his music and reach continues to expand categories.