JEFFREY McFARLAND-JOHNSON, one of Napa Valley's most celebrated and versatile musicians, performs on acoustic cello and an electric cello that he calls the CELLEKTRA™ (pronounced CHEL-LEK-TRA). He collaborates with other Bay Area musicians and creates computer MIDI generated accompaniments in a wide range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, and reggae. Jeffrey's sweet sound is unforgettable and well worth the effort to hear. His engagement schedule takes him throughout the Bay Area performing for many public functions from corporate to private parties, restaurants, conventions, fairs, and concert performances.
Jeffrey took up piano studies at the age of five. At seven he started playing the cello in public school. By the age of twelve he was composing songs and instrumental music on the guitar and playing bass in church and garage bands.
After finishing high school Jeffrey studied the cello at the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. After receiving his Bachelor of Music degree in four years at U.O.P. he received a grant from the Vaino Hoover Foundation to study the cello with Arto Noras (2nd place winner, 1966 Tchaikovsky Competition; the protege of Paul Tortelier) at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. For nine months straight he practiced his cello from eight to fourteen hours a day. When he returned from Finland Jeffrey lived in San Francisco performing classical and jazz music. Many evenings were spent exploring musical ideas with a variety of musicians of all calibers and backgrounds. In 1984 Jeffrey married and moved to La Jolla to begin his Masters' degree at the University of California at San Diego. After completing his M.A. in 1986 at U.C.S.D. Jeffrey bought a computer system and began learning about MIDI and composing music on the computer.
The CELLEKTRA™, or electric cello, is a solid-body music instrument prototype that took more than twelve years to complete. This endeavor required a research and development team of more than twenty people of diverse professions to produce. In June 1994 Jeffrey traveled to Kalliningrad, Russia, and adopted two sibling children, ages six and seven. He currently teaches instrumental and general music classes at Redwood School in Napa. Jeffrey's music and artistry are truly the culminations of many hours of diligent labor and refinement.
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