About this Artist

Born and raised in Kankakee, IL, violist Andrew Francois began his musical studies at the age of ten on violin in his school's string program.

As a chamber musician and soloist, Francois has given recitals throughout the United States and Europe, and has performed with such esteemed artists as Joshua Bell, Alexander Kerr, Jorja Fleezanis, Eric Kim, and Stephen Wyrczynski. He also serves on the artist faculty of the Anchorage Chamber Music Festival. As an avid orchestral player, Francois has played with the Verbier Festival Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, and New World Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Francois has received Artistic Excellence Fellowships from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University as well as Illinois State University. Francois enjoys teaching and community outreach, and has traveled to Medellín, Colombia to teach masterclasses and lessons at EAFIT Universidad. While an undergraduate student, he was a teaching assistant and private instructor at Illinois State University in their String Project program. As a graduate of the Jacobs School of Music, studying under string department chair Stephen Wyrczynski, Francois held the title of Graduate and Teaching Assistant for the string department, and sat on the Jacobs School of Music Council as a Graduate representative. After his studies, Francois was a Viola Fellow at the New World Symphony from 2014 to 2018.