Izi Austin

Izi Austin (they/them) is a violinist and composer originally hailing from Ashland, Oregon. They began playing violin at the age of seven and soon after started performing in a variety of youth orchestras and ensembles. As part of the Ashland-based violin ensemble Siskiyou Violins they performed at Carnegie Hall and Walt Disney Concert Hall, as well as throughout the Pacific Northwest. They subsequently graduated from University of Oregon summa cum laude with dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Violin Performance and Music Composition, and hold a Master of Music in Composition from Boston University. They have performing experience in a wide variety of styles, from classical to pop, metal, EDM, and experimental. In addition to violin, they have training in classical voice and piano.

As a teacher, Izi emphasizes a learning environment built on positive reinforcement and supporting student interests. Learning an instrument can be hard work, but it should be fun and rewarding as well! They believe in a holistic approach to instrumental learning, and their lessons often include a mix of listening games and singing in order to build musical intuition, technical exercises, working on tone production and musicality, and music theory tidbits tailored to the student’s level. They are a registered teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and have been teaching with Music House since 2021.