1. Paul Gronquist, began his career at the age of 10 in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Shortly after completing the Suzuki
program, he studied with Harry Sturm, retired Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee and Chicago Symphony
Orchestras. With his guidance, Paul became Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra and
was accepted to the prestigious Tanglewood Institute located in the Berkshires of Massachusetts in the summer
of 1989. There he received private lessons and chamber music coaching from members of the Boston
Symphony at the age of 16. In the summer of 1991 as Principal Cellist of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony
Orchestra, he toured Scotland and was awarded the best Chamber Music Ensemble at the Aberdeen Youth
Festival.
Paul Gronquist received his Bachelors of Music from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in 1998 while
studying with Dr. Lawrence Leviton. Pursuing his degree, he was Principal/Section Cellist of the Central
Wisconsin Symphony, Green Bay Symphony, and La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. Wanting to share his
knowledge of music, he began teaching private lessons in the Shawano School District and has been teaching
ever since. Prior to beginning his graduate work, Paul studied with Eastman’s School of Music Alan Harris at
the Aspen Music Festival in the summer of 1998.
Paul received his Master’s Degree in Performance from the internationally acclaimed University of Cincinnati –
College Conservatory of Music in 2000. During his graduate work he studied with Lee Fiser and received
chamber music coaching from members of the Tokyo String Quartet and the LaSalle String Quartet.
After finishing his graduate work, Paul was awarded Principal Cellist of the Dayton Opera and Sorg Opera
Companies. He was also Principal Cellist for Wright State University’s Musical Theater program in nearby
Dayton, Ohio. Performances included “South Pacific”, “Carousel”, “Carmen”, “Candide”, and “Eliser
d’Amore”. As an orchestral musician, he was Principal/Section Cello with the Dayton Philharmonic, Columbus
Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Springfield Symphony, and Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. In the fall of
2002, he began a nine month nationwide tour of the “The Music Man” with New York City’s “Big League
Theatricals”. In 2003, living part time in New York City, Paul studied with Alan Stepansky and David Geber,
members of the New York Philharmonic and Manhattan School of Music.
Upon moving to Austin in 2004, Paul regularly performed on weekends for weddings, with area symphonies,
and at holiday events. His orchestral work in Texas included the San Antonio Symphony, Austin Symphony,
Waco Symphony, and Temple Symphony. For the past 11 years, he provided private lessons at his home and in
the Eanes and Georgetown Independent School Districts. He also provided group cello lessons and sectionals in
those aforementioned districts.
Paul has participated in educational outreach programs. In 2000/2001, he performed with “School House
Symphony” in Cincinnati, Ohio which consisted of a group of six professional musicians that demonstrated all
of the families of instruments. As a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, in 2008/2009 he
performed with Austin Symphony’s “Building Blocks of the Orchestra” which focused only on the string family
to area middle schools.
His musical style is classical and pop. Paul has performed with artists from Wisconsin to Texas. Some main
stream artists he has performed with are Doc Severinsen, Andrea Bocelli, Rod Stewart, The Beach Boys, The
Drifters, and Sean Combs at Fort Hood, TX for the televised Tribute to the Troops on NBC. While in Austin, he
was affiliated with many contractors including the multi-genre group Will Taylor Strings Attached.
On his free time, Paul enjoys the outdoor activities of hiking, biking, and fishing and takes care of a 15 year old
Maine Coon cat named Micah.
Paul Gronquist
pgronquist@hotmail.com
262-744-5531