Grant Houston

Violinist Grant Houston connects with listeners through performances of unbridled energy and emotional magnetism. Known for drawing in audiences with a uniquely compelling musical voice, he has been described as playing "as ethereally as mist... the audience kept so quiet that it seemed we were holding our breath throughout." (Yale Alumni Magazine). Particularly devoted to chamber music, recent appearances have included the notable festivals of Ravinia's Steans Music Institute, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival (Yale), and Yellow Barn. In addition to his career with Trio Gaia, which he founded at the New England Conservatory, Grant appears frequently with the conductor-less ensembles Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, and Palaver Strings, and soon appears as a guest principal with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Performing regularly as a sought-after freelance chamber musician, recent engagements including a performance on Boston’s First Monday at Jordan Hall series and a studio recording of Florence Price’s G Major String Quartet which has aired on WGBH public radio.

Grant has performed with artists such as Jeremy Denk, Paul Biss, and Melvin Chen, and taken studies with Itzhak Perlman, Midori, Hilary Hahn, Rachel Barton Pine, Martin Beaver, Inon Barnatan, and Stefan Jackiw among others, in addition to members of the Brentano, Cleveland, Cavani, Juilliard, St. Lawrence, Prazak, Mendelssohn, and Miami string quartets. Currently pursuing Master of Music degrees in both Violin Performance and Chamber Music at the New England Conservatory, Grant has studied violin with Donald Weilerstein and Ayano Ninomiya, and chamber music with Vivian Hornik Weilerstein and Merry Peckham. He performs on a 1757 Michel’angelo Bergonzi violin on loan from a private foundation.