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Paul Austin

Adult Chamber Music Camp - Instructor of Horn and Winds Coordinator

About Paul

Paul Austin enjoys a multifaceted career as chamber musician, soloist, orchestral player, and pedagogue. Critics have noted his "absolutely stunning way of playing the horn" (Holzminden Zeitung) as well as being "tender on the warm French Horn" (The Grand Rapids Press), with additional recognition in that "the audience was charmed, thanks to Austin's witty narratives"(Kalamazoo Gazette). Recent concert appearances include recitals throughout the Great Lakes region with bassoonist Wendy Rose (as RAD/Rose Austin Duo), the Strauss First Horn Concerto with the Holland Symphony Orchestra, and performances in the USA and Europe with organist Gregory Crowell. In 1995, Paul Austin received a Gilmore Emerging Artist grant from the Kalamazoo Arts Council which allowed him to study in London. He joined the Grand Rapids Symphony horn section in 1999 and was a featured soloist in the 2012-13 season on their Sacred Dimensions concert series. For 17 seasons Paul has been resident horn player with the Chamber Music Festival of Saugatuck. He has also performed during the summer at the Banff, Fontana, and Southern Illinois music festivals. Paul Austin has been held to critical acclaim on five recordings which have been released by OgreOgress Productions, featuring music by American composers John Cage, Morton Feldman, Philip Glass, Alan Hovhaness, and Robert Shechtman. As a teacher, Dr. Austin has served as horn faculty at colleges in Michigan, Louisiana, and Ohio. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and Tennessee Tech University, with post-graduate study at The Banff Centre as a Resident Artist. Paul actively promotes historical instruments and is the author of "A Modern Valve Horn Player's Guide to the Natural Horn." He is President of ICSOM (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians). Photo credit: Terry Johnston