Cellist Austin Bennett originally hails from Bend, Oregon.  He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in cello performance at the University of Oregon in Eugene, (Read more) where he is a graduate employee in teaching and performing.  Outside of his studies, Austin is a passionate performer and collaborator.  As a performer, he is an acting cellist for the Eugene Symphony and held a position with the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra for two seasons while pursuing his Master of Music degree at Florida State University (FSU).   While at FSU, Austin was a member of the Eppes String Quartet and principal cellist of the FSU Symphony Orchestra.  With the FSU Symphony Orchestra, Austin recorded Ernő Dohnányi’s Second Symphony and the premiere recording of his Two Songs featuring baritone Evan Jones for Naxos Records.  Recently, he has played with the Oregon Mozart Players and Eugene Concert Choir Orchestra as a substitute and in Orchestra Next as an orchestra fellow.  Austin’s current collaborative projects include playing in the Sequana String Quartet, a graduate string quartet of the University of Oregon, and the Emerald City Trio.  The Emerald City Trio (with Dr. Anthony Aguayo, clarinet and Chang Qing Shi, piano) was recently awarded second prize in the 2023 Winter Edition of the American Virtuoso International Music Competition. 

Austin received his Master of Music from Florida State University where he studied with Gregory Sauer and his Bachelor of Music from the University of Oregon with Steven Pologe.