Violinist Faustina Housner currently holds a one-year position with the Minnesota Orchestra, beginning in 2024 and continuing through 2026. She earned her undergraduate degree and pursued graduate studies at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studied with Kathleen Winkler. During her time at Rice, Faustina served as Ms. Winkler’s teaching assistant (2022–2024) and performed regularly with the Houston Symphony as a substitute musician for three seasons.
A passionate performer and collaborator, Faustina has received numerous accolades, including Honorable Mention from the National YoungArts Foundation in 2018, which led to interdisciplinary collaborations in New York City. That same year, she was selected as a Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship recipient through NPR’s From the Top, performing as part of a violin and classical guitar duo at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Faustina was invited as a guest artist on Gil Shaham’s Gilharmonic masterclass series and has appeared as a soloist with the Temple University Symphony Orchestra, Bryn Athyn Orchestra, and Temple Prep Youth Chamber Orchestra.
As a cultural ambassador, Faustina has represented the United States in concerts for distinguished international leaders, including the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York, the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Icelandic President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. She was a member of Carnegie Hall’s prestigious NYO-USA, appointed as associate concertmaster and concertmaster during the 2018 Asia and 2019 Europe tours, and 2024 All-Stars performance under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Antonio Pappano, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Faustina has held leadership roles in the orchestras of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and the Shepherd School Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Her festival experience also includes fellowships at the Aspen Music Festival (New Horizon Fellow), Sarasota Music Festival, Detroit Symphony Orchestra Summer Institute, and Credo Music Festival.
Originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Faustina received her early training through Temple Music Prep, Settlement Music School, and Philadelphia Sinfonia. Her primary teachers include Dara Morales and Ellen DePasquale.