Liana Austin
violin
Liana Austin grew up in a small town just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She began playing the violin in the public school system and quickly developed an interest in the instrument. She was fortunate to study chamber music with Andrew Jennings and violin with Stephen Shipps and Paul Kantor at the University of Michigan during her high school years.
Ms. Austin received her Bachelor of Music from Vanderbilt University under the tutelage of Cornelia Heard and Carolyn Huebl. During that time, she focused on string quartets and was first-prize winner of the Music Teacher National Association’s collegiate chamber music division. Liana received her Master of Music degree from Arizona State University as a student of Katie McLin and was a member of the Herberger Graduate String Quartet.
Over the last 20 years, Liana has lived in six different states and Canada. These varying locations have allowed her to be a regular musician with many orchestras including the Nashville Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, National Ballet of Canada, Albany Symphony, New World Symphony, Helena Symphony, Idaho Falls Symphony, and Principal Second Violin of the Wyoming Symphony.
In addition to performing, Ms. Austin also teaches violin and viola. She previously served on the faculty of the Suzuki Strings Department at the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C., and now enjoys teaching a private studio of violin and viola students.
In her free time, Liana enjoys getting lost running the trails outside her home in Los Alamos, New Mexico, with her husband and two boys.