John Banther is an on-air host and production manager at WETA Classical, and is the host of the Classical Breakdown podcast. He can be heard Monday evenings, when he hosts our weekly Front Row Washington broadcast.
From Walt Disney World, to Europe’s greatest orchestra — the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra — to performing with one of America’s leading ensembles, The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass, he is in high demand as a musician and educator.
John has performed as a soloist throughout the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He has performed with artists and orchestras like Delfeayo Marsalis, Wycliffe Gordon, Boston Pops Brass, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Dutch National Opera & Ballet, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Holland Symfonia, Ebony Band, and the Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass. He is a former member of the Amsterdam Brass Quintet and the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet.
As an educator, John was previously Adjunct Professor of Tuba at the Washington Adventist University, and created a competitive private studio in the DC area. John has presented masterclasses at the George Mason University, the University of South Florida, Jackson State University, Gardner Webb University, Emory and Henry College, Indiana State University South Bend, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Penn State Erie, Projecto Guri, and public schools throughout the United States.
John graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music, studying with Mike Roylance, and the Amsterdam Conservatory, the Netherlands, studying with Perry Hoogendijk. John is also the founder of The Story Behind The Music, and with studies focused on Social Media has streamed concerts to thousands of people worldwide from the New England Conservatory, Boston University, and his solo concert with Kat Vipers at the Amsterdam Blue Note.
When not on the radio or stage, John enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife Zenas, their dogs Gabby and Maggie, and their horses Bolero and Pippa.