John Winstead is a graduate of the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.
John played under the baton of John Williams on the movie score orchestral debut to "War Horse" (Spielberg, Disney) and "The Adventures of Tintin" (Disney). John attended the Aspen music festival as a fellowship recipient. He played at the Castleton Opera Orchestra under Lorin Maazel as Principal Oboe. He has performed for Sony Pictures Orchestra, Manheim Steamholler, Disney, Danny Elfman, Il Divo, Randy Newman, Josh Groban and Sigur Rós.
He has played in groups including, Colorado Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Los Angeles Opera, The Armenian Symphony, Colorado Springs Philharmonic and Pacific Northwest Ballet.
John recorded and composed for the music minus one record Label "Winstead, the contemporary Oboist" book and CD with Boosey and Hawkes.
John was a Fellowship Recipient Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall in 2012 and Prize winner Pasadena Showcase Competition Los Angeles 2011. He has worked and played under conductors including Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, John Williams, Gustavo Dudamel, Simon Rattle and Kurt Masur.