John Turner was Senior Scholar in Law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge before pursuing a legal career, acting for many distinguished musicians and musical organisations, alongside his many musical activities. These included numerous appearances with David Munrow's pioneering Early Music Consort of London. He now devotes his time to playing, writing, reviewing, publishing, composing and "generally energising". He has played and broadcast as recorder soloist with the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Chamber Orchestra and the English Baroque Soloists, amongst other leading chamber orchestras. His recordings include no less that five sets of the Brandenburg Concertos, but lately he has concentrated on contemporary music - recent CDs include music of Alan Rawsthorne, Richard Arnell, David Lumsdaine, Anthony Gilbert and George Nicholson.

In the last years of the 20th century he played in Germany, Switzerland, Poland, France, New Zealand and the USA, and given several recitals on BBC Radio 3 with pianist Peter Lawson. In all he has given first performances of some 300 works for the recorder, many of which have now entered the standard repertoire. His own recorder compositions are regularly set for festivals and examinations.