Biography

Cory Barnfield has performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe. He currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky, where he enjoys a multi-faceted career as both a performer and an educator. He is the founding member and soprano saxophonist of the Louisville Saxophone Quartet, a professional ensemble that enjoys presenting programs in a wide variety of styles to diverse audiences throughout the region. 

Mr. Barnfield also serves as saxophonist on call for the Paducah and Louisville, Symphony Orchestras.  During its most recent season, Mr. Barnfield performed three weeks with the Louisville Orchestra for the Kentucky Opera Company’s production of Werther. He has performed with the Paducah and Louisville symphonies on Ravel’s Bolero, Bernstein’s Symphonic Rhapsody and On the Town, as well as multiple orchestra pops concerts. In addition, he plays clarinet and saxophone in the Indiana University Southeast Concert Band, a group comprised of some of the finest community wind players in the Louisville metro area and plays throughout the city when needed.  Mr. Barnfield has also given numerous clinics at middle schools, high schools, and colleges throughout Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana.

Throughout his career, Mr. Barnfield has performed at several regional, national, and international conferences including the Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival, North American Saxophone Alliance conferences held in Georgia, Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, and Arizona, the World Saxophone Congress held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the United States Navy Band Symposium in Fairfax, Virginia.  He has also appeared as a soloist with the Murray State University Orchestra, Murray State University Wind Ensemble, Southern Illinois Concert Band, Indiana State University Wind Ensemble and the Indiana University Southeast Concert Band.  Mr. Barnfield was also principal saxophonist with the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles International Youth Wind Orchestra in San Obispo, California and Lucerne, Switzerland. Mr. Barnfield has had several compositions for saxophone and small chamber ensembles commissioned by him including works by Daniel Powers of Indiana State, Perry Goldstein of Stony Brook State University, and Erich Stem of Indiana University Southeast. He can be heard on Mark Custom Recordings, Amos Recordings in Switzerland and New Dynamic Records.

Mr. Barnfield will be releasing his first solo CD in the Fall of 2010 on the New Dynamic Records label. New Dynamic Records is an invitation only recording company that works only with established musicians and young and emerging musicians. The upcoming release of the exciting new recording “Journey” will include original works by Erich Stem (for saxophone quartet and percussion) and Perry Goldstein (for alto saxophone, clarinet, bassoon and piano). With “Journey’s” release, Mr. Barnfield will join the ranks of other New Dynamic Recording artists such as the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, Prism Quartet and many others.”.  Anticipating the release, Professor Stem noted that  "Cory Barnfield's sound invites the listener to enjoy the beautiful bond between technical virtuosity and soulful expression.  With a distinctive touch, his playing ingnites the creative energy in our minds that transforms mere notes on the page into meaning. Working with a talent like Cory has been (and still is) one of those life reminders for why I became a composer in the first place."

Mr. Barnfield currently teaches in the Jefferson County School system and is on faculty with Indiana University Southeast. In addition to his duties there, he has regularly served as the saxophone instructor for the annual Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts program for an intensive three week program teaching some of the finest saxophone students in the Kentucky region. He also maintains an active studio of instruction for private students. He received his B.M.E. degree from Murray State University and his M.S. Degree from Indiana University.

His artistic influences come from Scott Erickson, Otis Murphy, John Moore, Paul Bro and Dale Underwood.

Cory's Saxophone equipment

• Selmer Series III soprano saxophone with C* mouthpiece, vandoren 3 reeds and Winslow ligature.
  
  

• Selmer Series III Gold-Plated alto saxophone with C* mouthpiece, vandoren 3 reeds and Winslow ligature.
  
  

• Selmer Series III tenor saxophone with C* mouthpiece, vandoren 3 reeds and Winslow ligature.