John Sant’Ambrogio (born June 12, 1932 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey) is an American

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

. He studied music at Lebanon Valley College (B.A., 1954) and at

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

(M.M., 1959). He studied

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

with

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

(1948 to 1950), with

Paul Olefsky Paul Olefsky (January 4, 1926 – June 1, 2013) was an American cellist. Olefsky was born in Chicago. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Gregor Piatigorsky. Olefsky subsequently studied with Pabl ...

(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 Fran ...

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, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

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 from 1968 to 2005 under music directors Walter Susskind,

Jerzy Semkow Jerzy Semkow (12 October 1928 – 23 December 2014) was a Polish 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 Erich Kleib ...

, and Leonard Slatkin. Sant’Ambrogio has played cello with the Saint Louis String Quartet, the Giavanni String Quartet, and Washington University's Eliot Trio. He was also principal cellist with the Casals Festival Orchestra in 1969 and 1970, and with the Grand Teton Music Festival, Jackson Hole, 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. I ...

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) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...

, and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. He has taught at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

(1963 to 1965),

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

(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 The City of Steamboat Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Routt County, Colorado, United States. Steamboat Springs is the principal city of the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Sta ...

. 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 si ...

. His daughter

Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio (born July 15, 1960) is an American violinist. She is assistant professor of violin and viola at the University of Nevada, Reno and served as concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony The San Antonio Symphony was a full-tim ...

served as concertmaster of the

San Antonio Symphony The San Antonio Symphony was a full-time professional symphony orchestra based in 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 serve in that ca ...

. His son Michael Sant'Ambrogio is a 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 research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the fi ...

Awards and recognitions

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

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the T ...

, 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 People 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