About

Austin Fisher is a dynamic artist whose career has been shaped by a wide range of musical styles and interests. Equally at home on the concert stage and in the recording studio, he has been praised for his “virtuosity, refinement, and style” (South Florida Classical Review), and is highly sought after as a chamber musician, orchestral player, soloist, and collaborator across genres.

Currently, he is the cellist of the Tesla Quartet, now in its 18th season. The Quartet has earned recognition at major international competitions—including top prizes at the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition, 2015 International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition, and 2012 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition—and performs regularly across North America and Europe. Recent highlights include their Lincoln Center debut, a return to Wigmore Hall, and performances at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall as recipients of the John Lad Prize. Other chamber music highlights include concerts with Yo-Yo Ma, the Miro Quartet, the Miami String Quartet, the Rembrandt Chamber Musicians, and the Frisson Ensemble. A recipient of a Solti Foundation grant to attend IMS Prussia Cove, Austin has also appeared at festivals such as Strings Music Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, and Pacific Music Festival.

Austin’s versatility extends beyond the concert hall. He is a founding cellist of the conductor-less ensemble, Orchestra Q, a Queens-based group that presents boundary-defying, immersive classical music experiences. In addition to a performance on Saturday Night Live with Vampire Weekend, Austin has recorded and performed with artists including Jon Batiste, The Eagles, Seal, Bailen, and 2Cellos. He’s played concerts and shows at iconic venues including Carnegie Hall, Red Rocks, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Public Records, and Rockwood Music Hall.

From 2014–2018, Austin served as Assistant Principal Cello of the Colorado Symphony, including a season as Acting Principal in 2016/17. He made his solo debut with the Symphony on tour in 2016, performing Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1. Other solo appearances have included performances with the New World Symphony, Lakewood Symphony, and other regular recital programs. As an orchestral musician, Austin often performs as an extra musician with the Minnesota Orchestra and Milwaukee Symphony.

A passionate educator, Austin has years of teaching experience in both public and private settings. He has given masterclasses around the world both individually and with the Tesla Quartet, and he held a private studio during his time in the Colorado Symphony. Prior experience also includes teaching non-music majors at Northwestern University and a summer spent as Hans Jensen’s Teaching Assistant at the Meadowmount School of Music.

He is currently pursuing his MMA at the Yale School of Music with Paul Watkins of the Emerson Quartet. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music (BM) and Northwestern University (MM), where his primary teachers included Steven Doane and Hans Jensen.

Austin resides in Brooklyn, NY, and performs on a French cello by François Caussin (1830).