Grand Rapids Symphony

Recently heralded by the Holzminden Zeitung for "an absolutely stunning way to play the horn," Paul Austin's versatile abilities are also apparent in the Grand Rapids Symphony (GRS). Paul Austin became a member of the GRS horn section in 1999 and has performed in every horn seat in the GRS (Horns 1-8) as well as Wagner Tuba. As a member of the GRS Wunderwind Quintet, Horn Duo, and his one-man creation "The Paul Show," Austin has made educational appearances to elementary school audiences throughout west Michigan.

A native of Tennessee, Paul Austin graduated from Tennessee Tech University where he studied with John Dressler and Arthur LaBar. His graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music were with Michael Hatfield and Steven Gross. Paul Austin received post-doctoral training at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada as a Resident Artist under the tutelage of Norwegian horn pedagogue Frøydis Ree Wekre. As a recipient of a Gilmore Emerging Artist grant, he studied the natural horn with Anthony Halstead in London, England.

Paul Austin is resident horn player for the Fontana and Saugatuck Chamber Music festivals in Michigan. He is the author of A Modern Valve Horn Player's Guide to the Natural Horn, which is recognized world-wide as the leading textbook on natural horn training. He has spoken and performed at many international horn festivals, including the 1993 International Natural Horn Workshop in Essen, Germany, and the 2001 and 2003 International Horn Society workshops. In 2002, Paul Austin was named to the International Who's Who in Classical Music.