Henry Auxenfans
Henry Auxenfans, Violin
Winner of the 2022 Lakeview Orchestra Young Artist Competition
Violin, Winner of the 2022 Young Artist Competition
About Henry
Henry Auxenfans is a 14 years old violinist from Chicago, IL. At age ten, Henry made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018 as the first prize winner of the American Protégé International competition. That same year, he had his orchestra solo debut with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra at Northwestern University's Pick-Staiger Hall. At age twelve, he was the 2nd prize winner of the 2020 International Arthur Grumiaux violin competition in Brussels, Belgium, and the youngest national finalist of the 2019~2020 Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competition, and the youngest prize winner for its scholarship prize at the 2020 Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition.
In 2022, Henry won 1st prize in the Lakeview Orchestra Concerto Competition and will be playing the entire Mendelssohn concerto with them this February. He was also selected as a national finalist for the U.S. Marine Band Concerto Competition and will compete in Washington D.C. in February. In addition, Henry is a MTNA (2021~2022) national finalist (Junior, Strings category), which qualifies him to compete at their national convention in March.
Henry was a Chicago Bulls half-time Kids Talent Search finalist, performing for 20,000 fans. In 2021, he was invited back to record the national anthem solo at the United Center for their home games. Henry and his brother, Louis, were featured by Chicago’s WFMT Introductions show in February, 2021 for their own full-length program, which received overwhelming praise and was re-broadcasted. Henry is also a finalist of the “From The Top” radio show and is scheduled to appear in a future episode.
During the past five years, Henry has served as the concertmaster for all levels of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, an organization he has truly enjoyed being a part of since he was a second grader. You can see Henry perform as a soloist, orchestral and chamber player in various venues, such as CSO Hall, Pick-Staiger Hall, Mary Galvin Hall, University of Chicago Logan Center, Harris Theater, the Chicago Cultural Center and Gordon Parks Art Hall. Prior to COVID-19, he and his brother Louis, a pianist & clarinetist, performed regularly at local churches and senior homes as a way to give back to their community.
Henry studies with Frank Almond and his chamber coaches include Lawrence Newman, Qing Hou, and Aiko Noda of the CSO, and Verona Quartet member Abigail Rojansky. Henry's piano teacher is Laura Fenster and his collaborative pianist is Andrew Rosenblum. In the past two summers, Henry attended the prestigious Morningside Music Bridge program with a full merit scholarship to study with Noah Bendix-Balgley and Nikki Chooi. With a CSO’s scholarship, he also attend the Tanglewood music festival last summer. Henry has taken masterclasses with Paul Huang, Timothy Chooi, Richard Lin, Rachel Barton Pine, Mark Kaplan, ShanShan Yao, Agata Szymczewska, and Caroline Campbell.
As a 9th grader at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Henry enjoys science, math, tennis, soccer, reading, writing and cooking. Henry would like to express his gratitude to the Lakeview Orchestra for giving him this opportunity to share his music with the community.
Henry Auxenfans will perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concert in E minor with the Lakeview Orchestra on February 13, 2022. Learn more >>>
We sat down (virtually) with Henry Auxenfans, violin soloist for our upcoming performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor. A lightly edited transcript of our conversation is below.
How old were you when you started playing violin? Why did you choose the violin and what excited you about it?
I was 4 1/2 years old when I started playing violin. My mom found a local music program in our neighborhood and she thought it would be interesting for me to play the violin. My older brother plays the piano and clarinet, so my mom thought it would be interesting for me to play a different instrument and be able to play duets! She signed me up at the local music program and I’ve been playing violin ever since.
What do you love most about Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto?
I really enjoy how every movement has it’s own character. The first movement has some sad parts and is very melancholic, but it’s peaceful and calm at the same time. The second movement is very lyrical, tender, and beautiful. The third movement is very contrasted from the second movement, and has a very energetic and explosive ending. This piece has a lot of different colors and textures and it’s really fun to explore them. I can’t wait to share with the audience!
What is your favorite piece you’ve ever played?
It’s hard for me to say I have a favorite, because I’ve really enjoyed so many pieces I’ve played over the years. There’s one that I particularly enjoyed: Sonata No. 3 “Ballade” by Eugène Ysaÿe, who was a Belgian violinist and composer. My teacher asked me to learn this piece because it was completely different from everything that I was learning. This piece is very reflective and shows a persons’ internal struggles. There are a lot of harmonics and virtuosic parts for the violinist to explore. I really enjoyed learning this piece last summer.
What pieces are on your orchestral bucket list?
One of the pieces on my orchestra bucket list would be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, one of his most iconic pieces. Another is Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5. I saw a performance of it at the CSO a few months ago and I was blown away! It was so beautiful and majestic. A few other pieces that I would like to play are Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov, Dvorak Symphony No. 9, and Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin.
What is your favorite musical memory?
My favorite musical memory is when I played at Carnegie Hall when I was 10 as a result of winning an international competition. My brother also won that competition that year, so we both visited New York for the first time. It was a really fun experience for us to visit the city together. I remember how amazing it was playing on stage and how beautiful the hall was. It was an experience that I will never forget and will cherish for the rest of my life.