Born and raised in Bordeaux, France, Laurent Grillet-Kim studied with Atar Arad at Indiana University where he won the Viola Concerto and the String Quartet competitions. While at IU, he was regularly invited to play with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and actively collaborated with a number of faculty members such as Alex Kerr, Eric Kim, Emile Naoumoff and Atar Arad. Upon graduation, Laurent joined the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as Principal Viola in 2014.

The Calgary Herald described him as ”a superlative first chair violist” whose performance was “a star turn with his sound beautifully clear and the music excellently shaped,” after his solo appearances with the CPO.

As a guest principal violist, he has performed with the Toronto Symphony, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre national de Lille.

Laurent is the father of two adorable children, Louis and Alma.