John Di Fatta is a multidisciplinary musician and artist pursuing an MM in Saxophone Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music, where they study with Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin and harp with Sunshine Quan.

John earned a BM in Saxophone Performance with a minor in Harp, Magna Cum Laude, from Vanderbilt University, where they studied with Dr. Brian Utley, Kirsten Agresta-Copely and Paula Bressman. Other former teachers include Dr. Niel Ostercamp, Jeff Coffin, and Allegra Lilly. As a Vanderbilt student, they were awarded the Andrew Sang Han Award and Elliot and Ailsa Newman Prize for excellence in performance, and had additional private instruction in classical voice, flute, piano, clarinet, jazz and organ. They are also a member of the Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Society.

A competitive performer, John was named winner of the 2020 Vanderbilt Concerto Competition, a three-time winner of the Tennessee State Music Teacher National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition, and a national finalist in the 2021 MTNA Young Artist Competition, and most recently was a finalist in the 2024 North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Quartet Competition as a member of the Etna Quartet.

An avid chamber musician, John has performed across the country in multiple ensembles on both saxophone and harp and is currently a member of the Eastman Saxophone Project.

As both a solo and an orchestral harpist, John has performed multiple times at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee. They have also performed as a chamber harpist, including a self-transcribed rendition of the Charles Koechlin “Epitaphe de Jean Harlow.” In Rochester, they have performed in venues such as Kodak Theatre and the Hochstein School, the latter of which was broadcast on WXXI Classical Radio.

A polymodal synesthete with an extensive background in multiple instruments, photography, and painting, John takes a truly unique approach to creating and conceptualizing art, exploring connections across mediums and instrumental philosophies. This informs in part their pedagogical work; John has taught at the W.O. Smith School of Music in Nashville, TN and currently holds a teaching assistantship at Eastman. During the summer they are also a Resident Assistant and photographer at the Missouri Fine Arts Academy, where they teach instrumental music students and of which they are a former student.