Tanfield's high school education was at Clifton College, Bristol , He studied under Igor Ozim, Felix Andrievski, Alberto Lysy, Herman Krebbers and Yehudi Menuhin.

As soloist and chamber musician Tanfield has performed throughout Europe, China, Japan, India, Canada, the Middle East, Africa, USA and USSR.

He has recorded solo and chamber works for television and radio as well as CD.

[2] He has performed with Astor Piazolla, Charlie Watts, Pinchas Zukerman, Yehudi Menuhin, Charles Wuorinen, Arvo Pärt, Graeme Koehne, Gary Carr, Carlo Maria Giulini, Mark Gasser and Itzhak Perlman.

From 2008 to 2013 he was Head of Strings at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, [3] and is now Lecturer in Violin at the University of Tasmania.