About John
Violist John Dexter was born into a family of professional musicians who recruited him at an early age for the family quartet. His musical training began in Des Moines, Iowa where he earned his first performance degree at Drake University. He then traveled to New York City to study at Juilliard with such luminaries as Dorothy DeLay and Lillian Fuchs. Performing in a string quartet from his earliest years proved a powerful influence on his performance career, and he began his concertizing with the Madison String Quartet from 1973 to 1979. During that time, John served on the Colgate University and Hamilton College faculties, performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe, and produced several contemporary music recordings.
Joining the Manhattan String Quartet in 1980 as a founding member, John participated in 20 critically acclaimed recordings, performed in Music Mountain radio broadcasts to an audience of millions, and presented three Shostakovich string quartet cycles in New York City and on Radio France. His touring with the Manhattan String Quartet brought him to Asia, Europe, North and South America, and to the former Soviet Union on three historic tours during the Glasnost era of the 1980s. John was a member of the Manhattan String Quartet for 39 years, retiring in 2019.
John’s recording of Anthony Newman’s Viola Concerto on Newport Classics has been accorded high praise by the critics for his virtuosity and musical poetry.
As principal violist, John performed with the New York City Opera Orchestra, Philharmonia Virtuosi, the Joffrey Ballet in New York City, the American Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
John maintained an active private teaching studio and was in high demand as a chamber music coach. His great passion was chamber music and his students vividly remember John’s comments and his energetic, engaged manner in expressing his ideas. John’s coaching style delivered constructive commentary combined with uniquely Dexter humor, conjuring inspiration, musicality, and laughter.
John will be dearly missed by family, friends, students and his many colleagues in the music world.