A native of Hinsdale, New York, horn player John Fairfield has been playing his instrument for decades. He initially began playing the cornet in third grade, then switched over to horn in the sixth. He studied with John Covert at Ithaca College, Alan Civil in London, and finally with Dale Clevenger at Northwestern University.
Mr. Fairfield is principal horn of both the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Illinois Philharmonic, and is a current member of Midsummer's Music (Door County, WI). He is a former principal horn of Lake Forest Symphony and has performed, recorded, and toured with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, and the Chicago Philharmonic, playing in many major concert halls in Europe and Asia.
He is currently Professor Emeritus of Horn and Chamber Music at Northern Illinois University, where he has been on the faculty since 1985; before that, he was Professor of Horn at Illinois State University for five years.
Mr. Fairfield enjoys traveling, reading, and being active at his church, as well as encouraging and supporting his wife Laura and daughter Elizabeth in all of their endeavors.