MSO Musician Spotlight: Alex Ayers and Paul Hauer
Abby Vakulskas
PUBLISHED
Tagged Under: MSO Musicians, Stars of Tomorrow, Violin
“It’s so important that the greater Milwaukee community has a local, world-class orchestra,” says Alex Ayers, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra first violinist.
Paul Hauer, second violinist and fellow Wisconsin native, agrees. “Every city needs art and music, Milwaukee included,” he says. “I think it’s important for us to have a home team on the world stage. The musicians of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra come from the best conservatories and professional organizations around the world, and this community supports that vision of great music at home.”
After an eventful 2024.25 season that saw the violinists performing an extensive array of music — including more than 100 concerts at Allen-Bradley Hall, a fully-staged production of Carmen in collaboration with the Florentine Opera, our Cocktails and Conversations series, and community performances in Fond du Lac, Stevens Point, and Bay View — the two shared their reflections on the importance of the orchestra’s broad reach.
“Growing up in Fond du Lac, the MSO came to play at Buttermilk Park every summer, and my parents brought us every year,” says Hauer. “I enjoyed seeing how much fun the musicians were having while performing, smiling with each other during the concert. I started to think that I would really enjoy doing what they were doing some day.”
Similarly, Ayers feels that community programming and runout performances are vital for bringing music to young audiences and those who may not be able to travel. “Listening to a recording is not the same as hearing live music,” he says.
Ayers himself has a personal connection to the MSO’s educational initiatives and partnerships with area schools, such as the Arts in Community Education program and competitions for young musicians. Like Hauer, Ayers credits his career to an early exposure to classical music.
“Without the MSO, I would have had a very different life!” he says. “I got to perform the Bach double violin concerto with them as a grade-schooler. Later, the Audrey G. Baird Stars of Tomorrow competition in high school gave me not only another performance opportunity, but also scholarship money.”
“My colleagues and I are able to share music performance at the highest level because of our community’s generosity,” says Hauer. “The donors that support the MSO are the backbone of the organization.”
There’s much that Ayers and Hauer are looking forward to in the 2025.26 season ahead. For Ayers, Augustin Hadelich’s performance of Brahms’s Violin Concerto on March 6 and 7 will be a highlight. “I know he will sound incredible,” says Ayers. “Also on that program is my favorite Brahms symphony, No. 3.”
“Pianist Stephen Hough is one of my favorite musicians and people alive,” says Hauer. “He is scheduled to perform at the end of January 2026, and I’m honored to be sharing the stage with such a warm soul and gifted musician.”
In the meantime, the two violinists have a busy summer schedule. Hauer heads to Elgin, Illinois, to teach a four-week intensive at the Fulton Summer Music Academy, while Ayers travels to Iowa to perform with the Des Moines Metro Opera. Both will reunite in Door County in August for a favorite engagement: playing the Peninsula Music Festival together.
“Every note we play is because of you,” Ayers says, closing with a nod of gratitude to our fellow arts advocates. “Together, we can keep music alive in Milwaukee. Your support makes everything the MSO does possible. Thank you!”
