Meet Kyle Grant, a member of PCSO’s cello section.

How did you choose your instrument?

I happened upon the cello mostly by accident. My older brother had earlier played cello in our high school, but gave it up around his sophomore year. When it came time for me to choose an instrument in elementary school, being the contrarian child that I was, I insisted that I would play something different—drums or saxophone for instance. However, not wanting their instrument purchase to go to waste, my parents told me that I would be playing cello. I have been immensely grateful for that assignment ever since.

Who is your favorite composer and why?

Tchaikovsky’s mastery of the symphony orchestra and his ability to infuse it with a unified, soaring sound is, I feel, unparalleled in all of music.

If you could magically play another instrument, what would you choose and why?

I love the sound of the Armenian duduk–a double reed instrument often heard in western works depicting settings in the middle east. The duduk’s timbre and range is strikingly similar to that of the cello.

What is your secret superpower or non-music hobby?

Not that I have any superpowers at it, but I love to ski when conditions are right.

What are you most looking forward to for the 2021-2022 Season?

I will mostly be thankful to be playing again with other musicians again. Solo and recording work is fun in itself. But there is no experience comparable to playing as a member of a symphony orchestra.

Video: “Come Back to Us” from the movie 1917, arranged and performed by Kyle.