John Stajduhar began his life in historical performance on a whim during his time at Bard College, joining a nascent baroque ensemble headed by Dr. Alexander Bonus for fun, soon discovering the most gratifying music making he’d yet experienced. Moving to Cambridge, MA, he began lessons with renowned bassists Anne Trout and Andrew Arceci while studying at the Longy School of Music. In 2019 he accepted admission to The Juilliard School’s Historical Performance program, performing regularly in the Juilliard415 Orchestra and studying under Douglas Balliet. Now working as a freelance musician in New York, John has played with such diverse groups as Philharmonia Baroque, Kollective366, Harmonia Stellarum Houston, Les Arts Florissants, Decoda, Opera Lafayette, Philharmonie Austin and beyond.

Following his mission to advance the cause of early music as well as making classical music more accessible to a wider audience, John is also a principal member of new ensembles such as Nuova Pratica (a group of composer-musicians who premiere new baroque-style music), Silentwoods Collective (an arts nonprofit which seeks to bring classical music to underserved communities across New England), and The Fooles (an ensemble dedicated to reexamining the core texts of Early Music and performing according to hard evidence and textual fidelity). When not playing music, John enjoys ancient history, contemporary geopolitics, and very strong shots of espresso.