About

Nathan Harrenstein, a native of Bellevue, Washington, has been playing the cello for 23 years. He graduated from the University of Washington in 2010, where he received a Bachelors of Music Degree cum laude studying with cellist Toby Saks. As a freshman in 2008, he won the University of Washington Concerto Competition and performed with the university's orchestra. After the University of Washington, he went to the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, and received a Masters of Music degree in 2012 studying with cellist Bion Tsang. During his time at the University of Texas at Austin, he taught cello ensemble, music theory, and technique & repertoire classes in addition to private lessons through the String Project program. In 2011, he was awarded a scholarship by the University to attend Creative Dialog IV in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he collaborated with cellist Anssi Karttunen, the Sibelius Academy from Finland, and cellists from the United States and Canada to perform contemporary music for solo cello.

In 2013, Nathan was selected to join the Southbank Sinfonia in London for a one-year position. During that time, his performances include an internationally televised Verdi vs. Wagner debate with Stephen Fry, the UK premiere of Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels, collaborations with Squarepusher, the Royal Opera House, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and the BBC Concert Orchestra, as well as concerts in Italy and France. He performed in many concert halls around the UK including the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Purcell Room, the Australia House, the Royal Opera House, and the Barbican. He has performed under the direction of conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Ed Gardner, Charles Hazelwood, Rebecca Miller, Michael Berman, and Simon Over, among others. In addition to Southbank Sinfonia, Nathan was also part of an orchestra that toured around the United Kingdom with English pop singer-songwriter Tony Hadley.

Currently, Nathan is an active freelance musician in the Seattle area, performing with Puget Sound Strings, the Parnassus Project, Inverted Space, among others.

Music

I play everything, but I believe in programs with lots of contrast and interesting music.

Audio

Past groupmuses (5)