Johann Sebastian Paetsch (born in 1964) is an American cello virtuoso. He was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado and began his cello studies with his father, Günther Paetsch (who was also a cellist), at the age of 5, and gave his first recital when he was 6 years old. His extensive experience in chamber music began early in childhood with his large and talented family of 9. His three sisters Phebe, Michaela and Brigitte and his three brothers Christian, Englebert and Siegmund all learned string instruments. He studied and performed almost the entire chamber music repertoire for strings with his family "The Paetsch Chamber Music Ensemble" in hundreds of concerts throughout the U.S.

Mr. Paetsch studied at Butler University with the principal cellist of the Indianapolis Symphony, Arkady Orlovsky, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree Cum Laude. He then furthered his cello studies at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut with the famous cellist and teacher Aldo Parisot, where he earned his Certificate of Music Degree as well as his Master’s Degree in Music. He then went on to study in Germany at the Musikhochschule Lübeck with David Geringas where he received his ‘Konzertexamen’. He has participated in masterclasses with cellists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Mstislav Rostropovich, Janos Starker, Bernard Greenhouse and Mischa Maisky. As a member of the ‘Yale Cellists,’ he took part in the recording of the world-famous CD’s.

A recipient of numerous prizes, Mr. Paetsch was awarded a top prize in the Emmanuel Feuermann Competition and the first place in the Young Musicians Foundation Competition in Los Angeles, CA. He was also highly successful in the ARD Competition, Munich, in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow and in the Rostropovitch Competition, held in Paris.

Renowned not only for his technical skill but also for a gorgeous profundity of tone and deep insight musicality, Johann Sebastian Paetsch has the pleasure of a distinguished international career as one of the foremost cellists of his generation, performing regularly in Japan, Europe and the Americas. He has collaborated with prominent artists such as Vadim Repin, Gidon Kremer, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Eduard Brunner and the Wilanow Quartet.

As soloist, he has taken stage in many important capitals of the world, showing no hesitation in performing the concertos such as Haydn, Dvorak, Shostakovitch, Prokofiev, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky. His performances and recordings of the Double Concerto (Brahms) in collaboration with sister and violinist Michaela Paetsch, have taken place in the USA, Canada, Switzerland and in Germany. He has been featured soloist with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana in performances and recordings of great pieces such as Boccherini, Saint-Saëns, Kabalevsky and the two Haydn Concertos, as well as Don Quixote (Strauss) with conductor Alain Lombard.

A review in The Strad magazine applauded his cellistic abilities, saying he was "A CELLIST of extraordinary flair... His playing is at once stylish and communicative and of virtuoso stamp." In 1992 Mr. Paetsch became the Principal Solo Cellist of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, in Lugano, Switzerland a position he still holds today. He is married to violinist, Yoko Miyagawa, with whom he has three children, Raphaela, Valentina and Dominic (who also play string instruments).