A member of the Colorado Symphony since November 2014, Austin Fisher was appointed Assistant Principal Cello in 2015 and served as Acting Principal for the 2016-17 Season. He made his solo debut with the Symphony in October 2016, performing Saint‐Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1. Previously he was a member of the New World Symphony in Miami under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. As a winner of New World’s concerto competition, Austin was a featured soloist in performances of Schumann’s Cello Concerto. Before his time at New World, Austin was Principal Cello of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago where he worked closely with Yo-Yo Ma and musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. An active soloist and chamber musician, Austin has been praised for his “virtuosity, refinement, and style” (South Florida Classical Review). This past February, Austin was the featured soloist in Dvorak’s Silent Woods with the Colorado Symphony. In 2017, he joined the Lakewood Symphony as soloist for a performance of Schumann’s Cello Concerto. He is a founding member of the Rose Quartet, an ensemble formed by New World Symphony alumni, who made its debut at the Centrum Port Townsend Music Festival in 2017. He is also a regular performer on the Englewood Arts Chamber Music Series, active in Denver’s newly emerging Groupmuse scene, and recently joined the Miami String Quartet for a performance of Schoenberg’s Verklarte Nacht in Fort Collins. Last summer, Austin performed in concert at Banff’s Rolston Hall with members of the Miró Quartet. Austin has attended festivals and master classes around the world, including IMS Prussia Cove, London Master Classes, and the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. He is Co-Principal Cello at the Lakes Area Music Festival in Minnesota, where he returns for his eighth season, and regularly performs with the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Austin holds a Master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, studying under Hans Jørgen Jensen and Steven Doane. Important mentors include Yo‐Yo Ma, Silver Ainomäe, and the Miró Quartet. He plays on a French cello made by Francois Caussin, 1830.