It chose me, John Foster says of the baroque trumpet he is renowned for playing.
From the first time he played a trumpet at school in Queensland, he knew it was for him.
‘‘It made sense. I started when I was 10 years old. By the time I was 15, I was playing professionally in orchestras.''
However, it was not until he was playing professionally that he became aware of early music.
In the United Kingdom, he met acclaimed trumpeters Michael Laird and Crispian Steele-Perkins, who encouraged him to try out early music.
‘‘I heard it played so beautifully on historical instruments, it fascinated me.''
Steele-Perkins also showed him his collection of more than 100 historical instruments and allowed him to try a baroque trumpet.
‘‘Now, funnily enough, I have my own collection.''
It is Australia's largest collection of historical trumpets, and he enjoys exhibiting it throughout the country.
‘‘The great thing about a trumpet is it can light up a space.''
An early trumpet was over 2 metres long and did not have a valve, he said.
The trumpet had changed the most of any classical instrument, with the invention of the valve in 1815.
Trumpets used to play early music up until the 1960s were one-quarter of the length and had four valves.
‘‘So it's a completely different skill set as far as sounds and technique to play the music.''
His passion for the instrument led him to travel extensively around the world performing as a soloist in many festivals, concert series and with many leading orchestras and ensembles, including as a member of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra from 2001 to 2013.
It also led him to found Australian Baroque Brass in 2003. He is the group's artistic director.
‘‘We're still trying to get audiences to understand the significance and the benefits of performing the music on the original instruments''
Mr Foster also directs the Australasian Trumpet Academy.
He had recently collaborated with Norwich Natural Trumpets (UK) to design the new ‘‘John Foster Model'' baroque trumpet right from the first pencil drawing.
It is a copy of an 18th-century instrument from Nuremberg.
‘‘It's great. It means I'll always know which instrument is mine.''
Due to the length of the instrument, it has a lot more overtones in sound.
‘‘As it's twice the length, it has a far greater effect on the listener's ear. You play it at a much softer dynamic level so it mirrors and blends in with other instruments and voice.''
Dunedin audiences will get to hear Mr Foster at work during the Early Music Festival.
‘‘We're very lucky to have him,'' festival artistic director Christopher Clifford said.
Also visiting for the festival are young American musicians Brandon Labadie from Portland, Oregon, who plays the baroque oboe, and violinist Laura Rubenstein-Salzedo, of San Francisco.
‘‘It's great to have this young talent, these emerging musicians, the next generation of early music.''
Ms Rubenstein-Salzedo, who will be visiting New Zealand for the first time for the festival, plays the baroque and modern violin having studied at the Juilliard School.
She plays a 1690 Caspar Borbon violin, made in Brussels, and came to her interest in early music through her parents, who both played it.
‘‘I was exposed to this style of playing at a very young age, and I've always been excited by historical performance practice.''
The biggest attraction for her is the chamber music aspect and how she could really express herself in her playing.
‘‘The pure sound of the gut strings also sounds closest to the human voice.''
