Canadian violinist Kai Gleusteen began his musical journey at the age of five in his hometown, Calgary. He achieved success in national music competitions and received top academic honours. As a young musician, he had the opportunity to study with renowned violinists and teachers of his time, including Nathan Milstein, Ivan Galamian, Josef Gingold, Dorothy Delay, and Zakhar Bron. At the age of seventeen, Kai won the first prize in the Commonwealth Concerto Competition in Australia, received the prestigious Skene Award in Scotland, and formed his first chamber orchestra, The Group of Twelve.
Believing strongly in musicians as multidimensional human beings, Kai chose to combine his musical studies with academic pursuits. He studied anthropology, geophysics, and philosophy at the University of Michigan. He later obtained a Master's degree at Rice University under the guidance of the person who would become his greatest inspiration both personally and musically, the violinist Camilla Wicks.
At the age of seventeen, he won the first prize in the Commonwealth Concerto Competition in Brisbane (Australia), and the Skene Award at the prestigious Aberdeen Festival (Scotland). It was also in that same year that he formed his first chamber orchestra: The Group of Twelve.
He has received other international awards, such as the International Soloist Auditions and the Carl Nielsen International Competition in Denmark.
In 1991, Kai moved to Europe to immerse himself in the heart of Western culture. Paris and Prague served as his bases for nine years, allowing him to develop and perform as a soloist and leader of numerous orchestras. In the year 2000, he won the position of concertmaster at the Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and subsequently moved to Barcelona. In 2003, he founded the Chamber Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and was appointed as a professor at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya. He continues to perform extensively as a soloist and recitalist throughout Europe, North America, and China, and has released numerous critically acclaimed recordings.
In 2011, Kai founded a chamber music festival called Kaimerata Concerts, where he selects a composer each season and shares his knowledge and passion for the chosen works with the audience by explaining, demonstrating, and performing the pieces. After eleven successful seasons in Spain, Kaimerata Concerts now has a second home in Western Canada during the summer.
Kai is fortunate to play a violin made by J.B. Guadagnini, "El Tigre," crafted in 1781.