LIVE | Henry Auxenfans, 17, violin

We welcome return guest Henry Auxenfans for a feature violin recital. He’s joined by his brother Louis Auxenfans on clarinet and pianist Nathan Canfield for Mozart, Glazunov, Perkinson, Fuchs, Franck and Wieniawski. Henry Auxenfans, 17-year-old violinist, is a senior at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. He has been honored with many regional, national and international competition successes including Grand Prize in the 2024 Enkor International Competition; First Prize at the 2022 United States Marine Band Concerto Competition in 2022; and being named a YoungArts winner in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Henry has performed at Carnegie hall twice as the First Place Winner of both the New York International Artists Association violin competition and of the American Protégé Competition. In addition, he also won first prizes & top prizes at the International Grumiaux Violin Competition, Leonid Kogan International Competition, the Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artist Competition, MTNA National Competitions, the DuPage Symphony Young Artists Auditions and the CYSO Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. As a result, he has soloed with many fine orchestras, including the United States Marine Chamber Orchestra, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Lakeview Orchestra, and more. For the past five seasons, Henry has served as Concertmaster of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras’ flagship Symphony Orchestra, which included performing the extensive concertmaster solos of Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben. His violin teachers have included Robert Hanford, Frank Almond and Stacia Spencer; his chamber coaches are Larry Neuman, Qing Hou, Hsing-Huei Huang and Matous Michal; and his piano teacher is Laura Fenster. In addition, Henry has had the privilege of taking masterclasses with Midori Goto, Anne Akikko Meyers, Miriam Fried, Paul Huang, Rachel Barton Pine, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Ani Kavafian, Peter Zazofsky, Nikki Chooi, Agata Szymczewska, Timothy Chooi, Daniel Stabrawa, and Ronald Copes. Giving back to the community is at the top of his priorities. He performs at the Veteran Hospital, senior homes and local schools either solo or with his chamber groups. Henry is also the founder of the University of Chicago Laboratory School’s Music Ambassador Club, which provides performing opportunities for high schoolers. He performs on the fine 1730 “Royale” Seraphin, a violin by Sanctus Seraphin on a generous loan from the Hooper Family Foundation via the Becker Family Foundation. In the fall, he begins at Princeton University majoring in Violin Performance and Chemistry. Henry Auxenfans made his first appearance on Introductions as a 13-year-old in February 2021. He was on the show with CYSO as a soloist in August 2023 and as featured concertmaster in January 2023. He performed alongside his brother Louis live from Navy Pier in July 2022 and live from the Fay & Daniel Levin Performance Studio in June 2023; and Louis and Henry were on Show 419 of NPR’s From the Top.