Steve Dillard is a professional freelance trumpet player, founder of the popular HornTrader website, and an educator. 

Steve’s first love has always been playing trumpet. Starting with his early work playing at Disneyland and performing on cruise ships, Steve's professional experience now spans several decades and includes performances with the San Diego Symphony, musical theater productions, touring acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, and studio work.

One of the first to teach online using SKYPE and YouTube, Steve has been able spread his knowledge and love of the trumpet the world over. His teaching mantra “I believe I can help YOU,” recorded in January 2012, can be seen on YouTube.

Besides his performance experience, Steve also has a wealth of knowledge from his work in the Calicchio and Benge trumpet factories. As an apprentice to Dominic Calicchio, Steve learned the fine art of brass craftsmanship with hands on experience. At Benge under Zig Kanstul, Steve had many jobs including slide maker, quality controller and shipper. Steve has always had a penchant for retail and at one time was the largest distributor of Reunion Blues gig bags in Southern California.

Since owning and operating HornTrader.com he has come to be one of the primary sellers of professional pre-owned and vintage horns on the internet. He is well known in many countries throughout the world and his site is visited by thousands each month.