Violin, Viola, Guitar
Caleb Henry was born in St. Louis, Missouri and began his musical journey through his elementary school's strings program. Although his parents originally intended to boost his math scores, he quickly developed a passion for music (much to the dismay of his math teachers). He started on the viola, which is relatively uncommon for professional violists who typically start on the violin.
Throughout middle school and high school he participated in extracurricular musical groups that focused on folk, bluegrass, jazz, and irish music. Outside of school, he taught himself various other instruments such as guitar, bass guitar, and drums. With his friends, he formed a metal band where he got his first tastes of musical composition and recording production. He was additionally very privileged to serve in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra for three years where he was able to work with some of the world class musicians of the St. Louis Symphony. His varied experiences growing up served as the bedrock to his adaptable approach to art and music.
He attended the DePaul University School of Music where he studied viola under Rami Solomonow, Wei-Ting Kuo, and Christine Due. It was at DePaul that Caleb discovered his interest in chamber music, often filling the viola spot in multiple groups at a time.
Caleb continued his studies with Victoria Chiang at The Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University. It was in an opera dress rehearsal when the announcement came that in-person activities at the school would be shut down due to the Covid-19 virus. He finished the remainder of his studies from his home in St. Louis. Rather than perform a master's recital to an empty hall in Baltimore, he instead produced and performed on an unaccompanied viola album titled "Social Distance".
Since completing his studies he has focused his artistic pursuits on his own independent recording projects. In the spring of 2022, he released his first metal album titled "The Collective Effervescence".
With students, Caleb emphasizes a holistic approach to music. While dedicated and focused time in the practice room is important, Caleb also encourages students to fill their life with other activities. Seeing live performances, learning secondary instruments, eating incredible food, and playing sports are all things that can enrich a student's musical abilities.
Caleb is now a resident of the Triangle area of North Carolina, and is very excited to meet new students and local artists!