John Brink: From Broadway to Lundstrum

John Brink said it was a very happy coincidence that he was introduced to Lundstrum’s Amy Ellis shortly after he moved back to the Twin Cities from New York. “We were both at White Christmas at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre.” They talked about John’s years as a performer in New York and on tour, including the touring role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables,” before the conversation turned to acting. “Amy asked me if I taught acting,” he says. “After my years of performing, I had recently been teaching so I was thrilled to meet her and her sisters.” Jon began teaching at Lundstrum this past January.

“Lundstrum has a strong program, with a history and tradition of nurturing kids… you can tell in the students that they are having a really positive experience.”

Brink grew up in Moorhead, MN, and, he says, “stumbled” into musical theater in middle school. He went on to attend The Hartt School in Connecticut, a performing arts conservatory for music, dance, and theatre. After earning his BFA, he moved to New York City and quickly got an offer from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the rock opera troupe that continues to be one of the top-selling bands of all time. He joined the touring company in 2009, then toured with the Broadway production of Les Miserables, where he was a swing, covering 14 different roles. “It was a great experience but exhausting,” he says. “Being swing is a tricky position. You have to be really versatile and not many people can or will do it so you can get stuck in that role.”

 Today, Brink continues to perform as a featured soloist with Trans-Siberian Orchestra from October through December, and is also relishing his new teaching role at Lundstrum. “I really think it’s a strong program, with a history and tradition of nurturing kids from a very young age,” he says. “You can tell in the students that they are having a really positive experience. The faculty, too, are super positive and they appreciate the depth of what performing arts can offer.”

“Lundstrum’s new spaces give young people a reason to be excited, to want to do more.”

Brink says he is all for Lundstrum’s expanding program and facilities like the North Wing, which opened in January 2025. “These new spaces give young people a reason to be excited, to want to do more.”