Paul Hauer

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Biography

Violinist Paul Hauer joined the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2016. Solo concerts have brought Mr. Hauer to countries including Germany, Greece, France, the Czech Republic, the Philippines, Mexico, and Vietnam. Chamber music and orchestral concerts have brought him to Italy, San Marino, Singapore, Mexico, China, Japan, and Taiwan. Before moving to Milwaukee, he was principal second violin of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra, guest concertmaster for the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and performed regularly with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Louisville Orchestra.

Mr. Hauer traveled to Athens in May of 2015 to participate in the 4th Leonidas Kavakos International Masterclass. One month earlier, he performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. In the summer of 2011, he toured Europe with the Denver Young Artists Orchestra as the soloist for the Barber Violin Concerto. He is a founding member of the Fulton Chamber Players, a classical music ensemble uniting world-class artists to present exceptional programs.

Hauer received his degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and his principal teachers include Ferenc Fenyő, Stéphane Tran Ngoc, Addison Teng, and Alex Kerr. As a teacher, Mr. Hauer gives private lessons at his condo in Milwaukee and coaches strings at the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Hauer is a native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and performs with the Peninsula Music Festival each summer.

• Was there any specific moment that influenced you to pursue a career in music?

  Music was a major part of my family life; all of my siblings play an instrument or two.

  There were a few events that solidified my dream to play music as a profession, once at age 12 for a convocation of college students who were showering me with positivity after a good performance.

• Do you have a favourite piece or a composer?

  Sergei Prokofiev is not the best composer, but he is my favorite composer. The depth that his music reaches in my soul is beyond what I feel with other composers. For example, the haunting 1st violin sonata in F minor, the flute and harp solo in Romeo and Juliet, and the thrilling climax in the 5th symphony.

• Which particular works/composers do you think you perform best?

  I’m loving the music of J.S. Bach more and more, and have been performing the 3rd Partita in E Major a lot this year. Repeated performances, sometimes several per day, helped me zoom out and feel the bigger structure that Bach is painting, and the individual notes then fall into place without drawing too much attention.

• Which performance are you most proud of or resonates with you the most?

  Performing Mahler’s 1st symphony with the Louisville Orchestra. I had relied on discipline to get through college and graduate school, and decided that I wanted to feel the music if possible. The music was so powerful, and I felt moved at last—I cried during the performance!

• Which musician do you like the most, or are you most influenced by?

  Nathan Milstein, violinist. He was overshadowed by the careers of other illustrious violinists of his day, but his words, wisdom, humility, skill, and devotion are inspiring for me.

• What do you do offstage that inspires your musical artistry onstage?

  I love writing poetry, engaging with the beauty of nature, the adrenaline from biking and driving too fast in my car, creating meals from limited ingredients, searching for peace through prayer, and any experience that has a glimmer of love.

• Do you have any unique practice techniques or routines?

  Yes, playing 3rds and Schradieck.

• Are there any exciting performances you’ve planned?

  I’m working my way through performing all of the sonatas for piano and violin by W.A. Mozart. I have about 10 uploaded to my YouTube channel.

• What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far, and how did you overcome them?

  Orchestra auditions favor musicians with nerves of steel and the confidence of warriors, neither of which were strong with me, I thought. I had a teacher and friends that believed in me; I didn’t give up and made it into the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2016, with 69 other violinists taking the audition that day for two full-time positions.

• Have you ever made a mistake on stage and pretended it to be intentional?

  I accept the mistakes before they happen. Stuttering doesn’t ruin a story, and neither do slips.

  There are no wrong notes in a concert if you are truly sharing feelings and telling a story. The notes that I play differently from what the composer wrote down can also be used to tell the story, especially during the Bach Preludio from the E major partita. I have played it perfectly, but it’s even better when I miss a few notes in the struggle to regain my place. Like a Formula 1 driver overcoming a slip in the rain on the track.

• What advice would you give to young or aspiring musicians?

  Immerse yourself in music theory. The way to understand composers is to speak their language.

• What do you feel needs to be done to grow classical music’s audiences?

  Personal relationships with audience members, sharing your story.

For videos of his performances and behind-the-scenes glimpses, please check out his Instagram and YouTube!