John Sant'Ambrogio

Who is John Sant'Ambrogio?

John Sant’Ambrogio is an American cellist. He studied music at Lebanon Valley College and at Ohio University. He studied cello with Diran Alexanian, with Paul Olefsky, and with Leonard Rose.

Sant’Ambrogio was principal cellist with the U.S. Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra from 1956 to 1958, and then played with the Boston Symphony Orchestra 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, 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 Orchestra. He is a member of the Generation Gap Piano Trio with violinist Dmitri Pogorelov and pianist Judith Lynn Stillman.