[1] During the summer of 1941 John Krell toured fifty-four US cities, Canada and Mexico as principal flutist for Leopold Stokowski's All-American Youth Orchestra.
[8] During his tenure with the National Symphony, Krell met and married Marjorie Ann McCormick, who spent World War II as a member of the Office of Strategic Services and was decorated for her work by both the United States and Italy.
In 1952 Krell began playing piccolo in Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of conductor Eugene Ormandy, in the flute section of his teacher William Kincaid, a position he held for twenty-nine years.
- Laurie Sokoloff, Solo Piccolo, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Conservatory flute instructor and student of John Krell[9]In 1954 John Krell gave the Vivaldi Concerto in A minor its premiere American performance as a piccolo solo at the Peninsula Music Festival under the baton of Thor Johnson which he repeated in 1972.
[15] The notes from his private studies with William Kincaid and his class experience with woodwind instructor Marcel Tabuteau at the Curtis Institute were later made into a book entitled Kincaidiana, A flute player's notebook.
[17] "John Krell possessed qualities given to very few of his chosen profession... each time the orchestration called upon the piccolo those of us privileged to work with him were immediately reminded that this was someone 'special'.
Kincaidiana is a testimony to this understanding and exists as both a unique tribute to his teachers (William Kincaid and Marcel Tabuteau) as well as a gift to succeeding generations as an invaluable method - John de Lancie (oboist), Former Solo Oboe, Philadelphia Orchestra, Former Director, Curtis Institute of Music"[9]Krell's publications include his 20th Century Orchestra Studies book published by G. Schirmer, edition #6077077 and his pamphlet, The Piccolo: An Artist's Approach for Armstrong Flutes.
[18] John Krell's students occupy positions in symphony orchestras, have solo careers and teach at Music Conservatories and Universities.