Hannah Greenstein

Hannah Greenstein is a lifelong musician from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She started playing Suzuki violin at age three, switched to the cello at age seven, and has experience with practically every string instrument. She is about to finish a Bachelor of Music degree in Cello Performance from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University with Professor Brandon Vamos, of the Grammy-Winning Pacifica String Quartet. In addition, she will also graduate with Distinction, Departmental Honors, and a minor in Arts Management from the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. During her time in Indiana she subbed regularly with regional professional orchestras such as the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Richmond Indiana Symphony, IU Jacobs Conductor’s Orchestra and the Terre Haute Symphony. During her time at Jacobs, she also played in a professional film scoring session for the movie Binary Soul, earning her first musician credits for TV or motion picture. 

During her time in high school, Hannah was very active in the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (2011-2020) and Minnesota Youth Symphonies (2018-2020). With the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies she held numerous principal cellist positions, advanced to the finals of their annual concerto competition, and toured internationally to Eastern Europe with their top orchestra in 2018. During her last two years of high school she also joined the Minnesota Youth Symphonies. With them, she also served as principal cellist for the last cycle of the 2019-2020 school year and participated in a string masterclass with violinist Nicola Benedetti. 

In 2019, she won second prize in her age division for the American Protege International Piano and Strings Competition where she played in a winner’s recital at Carnegie Hall. She has performed in masterclasses for Victor Julien-Laferrière, Amit Peled, Brant Taylor, and Emmanuel Feldman. She has attended Eastern Music Festival, the International Cello Institute, and Green Lake Chamber Music Festival. 

In her free time, Hannah enjoys running, doing yoga, spending time with family and friends, and reading. 

My teaching style focuses on helping students build strong technical foundations while fostering a genuine love for music. For beginner students, I like to start with the Suzuki method, as it provides an excellent framework for developing essential skills and confidence. As students improve, we transition beyond Suzuki to explore more challenging and diverse repertoire tailored to their interests and goals. I believe students thrive when they practice music they enjoy, and I work to balance technical exercises with pieces that resonate with each individual. Consistent practice and revisiting challenging sections are key elements in building confidence and mastery over time and is something that I emphasize.