Cello & Piano Lessons with Grant Estes

Grant Estes is a freelance cellist and aspiring orchestral musician based in Chicago, IL. He is currently attending DePaul University in pursuit of a Performer’s Certificate in cello performance, and he intends to audition for professional orchestras in the coming months. Mr. Estes has studied with a number of esteemed cellists, including Dr. Janina Ehrlich, Dr. Paula Kosower, Stephen Balderston, and Brant Taylor. Outside of his studies, Mr. Estes also performs widely as a gigging musician in Chicago, where he performs for weddings, parties, hotels, and other events. He has performed with local orchestras too, such as the Northbrook Symphony Orchestra, the Augustana Oratorio Society, and DePaul’s Chicago Music Division. At DePaul University, Mr. Estes has served as principal cellist of the DePaul Symphony Orchestra and worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Music History department.

Mr. Estes received his MM at DePaul in 2023 and his BA in cello performance at Augustana College in 2021. During his time at Augustana, he studied music composition, piano, conducting, and History along with his cello studies. An avid learner of music history, Mr. Estes recieved the Freistat Grant in 2019 to research Gustav Mahler’s life and music in Vienna, Austria. He was also the winner of the Augustana Symphony Composition Competition in 2020 for his orchestra piece, Amethyst. While his primary focus is currently cello and orchestral playing, Mr. Estes hopes to continue composing in the future.