Meet Grant Houston

We recently connected with Grant Houston and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Grant , thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

In my experience in classical music, the challenge of “overcoming” imposter syndrome is more of a cycle than a one-time achievement! For me, it goes like this: an email comes in, I get excited by the gig on offer, and I sort of size myself up against the other players involved. Increasingly, I’ve been lucky to get opportunities to work alongside artists I once only hoped to study with, but in general, I’m typically the youngest, greenest player on call. Within minutes, I’ll ask myself at least a few “imposter” questions. Why am I on this gig? Did someone hear a recording of mine that I won’t live up to in live performance? Which of my talented friends should have been asked instead of me? But there are a few ideas that help me get mentally back on my feet and stay sane.

I play music to connect with ordinary people, and I feel a lot of conviction about that. Whether my playing is good enough in the eyes of other musicians is impossible to evaluate, and slightly beside the point. The person hiring makes the final decision of who they want to work with and who they think their audience will like. If the offer is in my inbox, the judgment has already been made.

By the time I show up to rehearsal and start comparing myself to my colleagues, I try to remember that everyone brings different perspectives, and interesting perspectives make for interesting music. In one concert, I might find myself soaking up and magnifying the wealth of experience of the players around me, and that’s a way to contribute. In another, I might be the youngest player, but the only one who has played the piece. That doesn’t mean my perspective is more important, but it feels affirming to offer input knowing I’ve tried out some ideas already.

When the concert is over, the biggest belief I lean on is this: the least I can do is try to learn. I feel like literally everything that happens to me can be construed as a learning experience. And I know that sounds cheesy, but I mean it! I find it an addictive coping mechanism for stress, and it really helps when doubt sets in after the fact- when I feel like I didn’t do well enough and exposed myself as the imposter. 9 times out of 10, I can point to one or two actionable things I can learn to do better next time. I choose to believe that’s worth the whole ordeal, whatever risks were involved, and whatever self-doubt I encountered along the way.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’ve been playing violin since the age of seven, which is a pretty late start in classical music. In college, I studied full-time at the New England Conservatory for eight years, and the first few of those years were a big wake-up call as to how much I needed to learn to make a life for myself in music, I’m lucky to have felt so “behind”, because it lit a big fire in me to make the most of even the smallest opportunities that have come my way.

Now that I’m playing full-time, my time is devoted to projects that really excite me- touring with Trio Gaia, a piano trio I founded with my friends in 2018, serving as a Co-Artistic Director of Palaver Strings, a conductorless chamber ensemble that earned a GRAMMY nomination this year, performing as a freelance chamber musician on festivals and series across the country, and coaching high-school students who are on full scholarship at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. My newest project is a recital program called Crosscurrents, which looks at music written during periods of intense social and geopolitical change between 1900 and 1940- there’s a bit of distance between now and then, but also some pretty stark parallels (which need a real course-correction if we’re going to avoid repeating).

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I’m only 26, so in the grand scheme of things, I think I’m still pretty early in my journey! But think the skills I rely on the most are an ability to work with a wide variety of people, an instinct to follow my own voice, and a habit of reframing challenges and disappointments as growth opportunities. I don’t know if my “advice” applies to other paths, but I really feel so strongly that we have power over our mindset to positively frame where we are, where we want to be, and how we’re getting there.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

I feel like this kind of question only gives you a month or a year- a decade feels like a lot! If I knew I had 10 more years (and anyone who knows me knows I think about mortality a lot) I’d feel empowered to spend a few years taking big chances as an artist. There are musical things that I’d feel sort of now-or-never about: dream collaborations, big repertoire, etc. But I don’t think my entire existence is in service of performing music myself. I’d coach more chamber music and try to share what I love with people who have more time to bring it to others. I wouldn’t worry about practicing my instrument- there are people to be with, there’s a lot of food to eat, too many places to see, and I’ll probably go to my friends’ concerts until my last day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.granthoustonviolin.com/
• Instagram: @grant.houston

Image Credits

Alyssa Wang, Jeremy Deal, Titilayo Ayangade, Chris Lovett, Axie Breen