John Foster is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading exponents of performance on historical trumpets and cornetto, and is the Artistic Director of the renowned ensemble Australian Baroque Brass. John also regularly conducts the Sydney based Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St James’.   John was a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 2001-2013.   
 

John has appeared as soloist at festivals and concert series worldwide and performed as soloist with many leading orchestras and ensembles, including: the Sydney Symphony, Sydney Philharmonia, Queensland Symphony, Adelaide Symphony, Norwich Baroque (United Kingdom) among others. In 2011 John also performed J.S.Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.2 with Belgium's leading baroque orchestra 'Il Fundamento'. John was also a soloist for the launch of the Kammerorchester Basel (Switzerland) 2012 season. He has made several solo recordings including: 'Flourish' (ABC Classics), 'Music of a Golden Age Vol.1', 'Revolution' vol.2, 'Trumpets of the Realm' vol.3 (Tubicium Records), Music for Baroque trumpet and strings, before 1700’ (Centaur Records), ‘Music for Natural Trumpet’ (New Branch Records).

 

John has given master classes throughout the world, including at the Juilliard School of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester), the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, Northwestern University (Chicago), Indiana University, Bern University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland), and Conservatorio da Belo Horizonte (Brazil) among numerous others.   

 

Mr Foster has also enjoyed performing with such orchestras and ensembles as the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, English National Ballet (United Kingdom), Concerto Grosso Heidelburg, Kammermusik Potsdam, Hannoverschen Hofkapelle, Berlin Baroque, St Thomas Boys' Choir of Leipzig, (Germany), Le Concert Lorrain (France), Collegium Musicum Grossmunster (Switzerland), Barokorkest Concerto Vivo (Holland), Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, New Zealand Baroque Soloists, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Symphonie Orchesta de Macau, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.

 

Recently John went to the USA to perform as a soloist for a new CD of previously unrecorded 17th Century works for trumpet, with the Kentucky Baroque Trumpets. In 2013 John was invited to Brazil to perform as soloist and be a guest artist at the early music festival in Belo Horizante. In 2014 John also appeared as soloist with the Adelaide Symphony and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (New Zealand). Since 2015 John has been the director of the Australasian Trumpet Academy, which annually draws students and guest artist from around the world to Australia.  

 

John has recently had the pleasure of accepting an invitation to become the Artistic Director of period instrument orchestra, Queensland Baroque.