John Landefeld holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Cello Performance from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Anthony Ross, former principal cellist of the Rochester Philharmonic and world-renowned pedagogue, Steven Doane. In 1980, Mr. Landefeld studied the Suzuki cello method with Karan Nagase and Dr. Shinichi Suzuki at the Talent Education Research Institute in Matsumoto, Japan. He has also taken Suzuki pedagogy coursework with Gilda Barston, Jean Dexter, Anastasia Jempelis and Barbara Wampner. Mr. Landefeld has taught at the Park Avenue Suzuki Studios in Rochester, New York and the Suzuki Institute of Dallas, where he served as Suzuki Cello specialist and chamber music coach for nearly ten years. In 1985, John Landefeld was invited to play with Janos Starker in a cello festival sponsored by the Chicago Cello Society. One year later, Mr. Landefeld was a national finalist in the American String Teachers Association Solo Competition, and a finalist in the Julius Stulberg Competition. Mr. Landefeld has performed as soloist with the National Repertoire Orchestra, the Central Wisconsin Symphony and the Irving Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with such artists as, Lynn Harrell, Janos Starker, Perry Karp, Karl Fruh, and the Fine Arts Quartet.
For nearly two decades, Mr. Landefeld has been sought after as an orchestral cellist. In 1993, he accepted a special invitation to be a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida. There he performed as co-principal cellist under the acclaimed conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. In 1994, he attended Southern Methodist University (SMU), performing the duties of principal cellist in the Meadows Symphony Orchestra. While studying at SMU, Mr. Landefeld studied with Christopher Adkins, principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In addition to appearances with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Mr. Landefeld has performed with musicians from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Milwaukee Symphony. He has collaborated with prestigious conductors such as, James de Priest, Leon Fleisher, Simon Rattle, Alexander Schneider, Leonard Slatkin, Neeme Jarvi and Miguel Harth–Bedoya.
Mr. Landefeld has attended the summer music festivals of Tanglewood, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, National Repertoire Orchestra, Music in the Mountains and Britt. He has performed as Principal Cellist with numerous symphony orchestras including the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra (CWSO), National Repertoire Orchestra, the New World Symphony and most currently, the Plano Symphony and Irving Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber performer, Mr. Landefeld was awarded First Prize in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. He is also cellist of the classical, crossover group, Neo Camerata with which he has had the pleasure of playing for enthusiastic audiences all across the United States as well as in Europe in countries such as Austria, France and Belgium. With Neo Camerata he has helped to create what critics have called a "genre-busting," "technically impressive," "emotionally stirring" and "totally cool and amazing" experience.