John Sant’Ambrogio (born June 12, 1932 in

Glen Ridge, New Jersey Glen Ridge is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 7,802, an increase of 275 (+3.7%) from the 2010 United St ...

) is an American

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

. He studied music at

Lebanon Valley College Lebanon Valley College (LVC, Lebanon Valley, or The Valley) is a private university in Annville, Pennsylvania. History Lebanon Valley College was founded on February 23, 1866, with classes beginning May 7 of that year and its first class grad ...

(B.A., 1954) and at

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

(M.M., 1959). He studied

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

with

Diran Alexanian Diran Alexanian () (April 12, 1881, Constantinople – 1954, Chamonix, France) was an Armenian cello teacher and one of the world's greatest virtuoso cellists. Early life Alexanian started his studies in music under the supervision of his mat ...

(1948 to 1950), with Paul Olefsky (1950 to 1952), and with

Leonard Rose Leonard Joseph Rose (July 27, 1918 – November 16, 1984) was an American cellist and pedagogue. Biography Rose was born in Washington, D.C. His parents were Jewish immigrants, his father from Bragin, Belarus, and his mother from Kyiv, ...

(1953 to 1955). Sant’Ambrogio was principal cellist with the

U.S. Seventh Army The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fra ...

Symphony Orchestra from 1956 to 1958, and then played with the

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

from 1959 to 1968. He was cellist with the Boston Piano Trio from 1965 to 1968. He was principal cellist with the

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony o ...

from 1968 to 2005 under music directors

Walter Susskind Jan Walter Susskind (1 May 1913 – 25 March 1980) was a Czech-born British conductor, teacher and pianist. He began his career in his native Prague and travelled to London in March 1939 when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. He worked for substa ...

Jerzy Semkow Jerzy Semkow (12 October 1928 – 23 December 2014) was a Polish conducting, conductor. Semkow was born in Radomsko, Poland, later took French citizenship and resided in Paris. He studied in Cracow and Leningrad. His conducting mentors included ...

, and

Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...

. Sant’Ambrogio has played cello with the Saint Louis String Quartet, the Giovanni String Quartet, and Washington University's Eliot Trio. He was also principal cellist with the

Casals Festival The Casals Festival is a classical music event celebrated every year in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in honor of classical musician Pablo Casals. Background The festival was founded in 1956 by Pablo Casals. It was promoted by Teodoro Moscoso and Dav ...

Orchestra in 1969 and 1970, and with the Grand Teton Music Festival,

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre Range, Gros Ventre and Teton Range, Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, Wyoming, T ...

, Wyoming, from 1980 to 1985. John has also been cellist with the Zimbler Sinfonietta, and was principal cello with the

Boston Ballet The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard, and was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. ...

Orchestra. He is a member of the Generation Gap Piano Trio with violinist Dmitri Pogorelov and pianist Judith Lynn Stillman. He has been a private cello instructor since 1959, and former pupils have obtained positions in major orchestras including the

, the

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

, and the

. He has taught at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

(1963 to 1965),

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

(1970 to 1974), the Grand Teton Music Seminar (1980 to 1985), the St. Louis Conservatory of Music (1985 to 1989), and at the Mountain Team Concepts Music Camp (founder and director, 1992 to 1996). Sant’Ambrogio is founder (2003) and artistic director of the Arts for the Soul Summer Vacation Retreat in

Steamboat Springs, Colorado Steamboat Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Routt County, Colorado, United States. The population was 13,224 at the 2020 census. Steamboat Springs is the principal city of the Ste ...

. His daughter, cellist

Sara Sant'Ambrogio Sara Sant'Ambrogio (born 1962) is an American cellist best known as a member of the Eroica Trio. She was born in Boston and began her studies with her father, John Sant'Ambrogio, principal cellist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. She was ...

, is best known as a member of the

Eroica Trio The Eroica Trio is an American piano trio consisting of Erika Nickrenz, piano; Sara Parkins, violin; and Sara Sant'Ambrogio, cello. The trio take their name from Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. They have toured and recorded widely, and released ...

. His daughter

Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio (born July 15, 1960) is an American violinist. She was professor of violin and viola at the University of Nevada, Reno and served as concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony from 1994 until 2007, during which time she appea ...

served as

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

of the

San Antonio Symphony The San Antonio Symphony was a full-time professional symphony orchestra based in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas. Its season ran from late September to early June. Sebastian Lang-Lessing, its music director from 2010 to 2020, was the last to ser ...

. His son Michael Sant'Ambrogio is the dean and Red Cedar Distinguished Professor at

Michigan State University College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a Public university, public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College o ...

Awards and recognitions

Piatigorsky Award (1953), presented at Berkshire Music Festival at

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...

, in Lenox, Massachusetts, the summer home of the

. National Music Educators Award (1964), featuring a solo performance with Thomas Scherman's Little Orchestra Society in The Town Hall, New York City.

Alumni Award (1980).

Recordings

The Mozart and Brahms Clarinet Quintets, with members of St Louis Symphony (VOX). More than twenty recordings as principal cellist with the St. Louis Symphony (TELARC, RCA, BMG and VOX).

External links

Arts for the Soul
– summer vacation retreat in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, founded by cellist John Sant’Ambrogio

Eroica!– film originated by John Sant’Ambrogio; shown on PBS 400 times in December, 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sant'Ambrogio, John 1932 births American classical cellists Living people Musicians from Colorado American people of Italian descent Ohio University alumni Musicians from Glen Ridge, New Jersey Music of St. Louis American music educators Washington University in St. Louis faculty Lebanon Valley College alumni American male musicians Players of the Boston Symphony Orchestra