He is a violist born to a family where both his parents were horn players. He has been married to Tina, who is a violin teacher, since 1989.
He studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and from 1976 to 1980 was a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic where he was led by Carlo Maria Giulini and Zubin Mehta.
In 1980 he became a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and performed with them until his retirement in October 2019. In November 2019 the CSO presented him with the Theodore Thomas Medallion for Distinguished Service.
Recordings he performed on include Corigiliano: Symphony No. 1, Wagner: Overtures and Preludes and Brahms: Violin Concerto/Sonata No. 3 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Between the Lines by Marilyn Harris, the soundtrack of Battlestar Galactica Volume One: “Saga of Star World” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Save Tonight For Me by Chuck Mangione and Christmas Celebration, Yellowstone: The Music of Nature and A Fresh Aire Christmas by Mannheim Steamroller.
He performs here….
Sources:
- https://cso.org/about/performers/chicago-symphony-orchestra/viola/john-bartholomew/
- https://csosoundsandstories.org/six-cso-retirees-to-receive-the-theodore-thomas-medallion/
- https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/john-bartholomew/credits/
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/2649967-John-Bartholomew
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/2649967-John-Bartholomew