UT Tyler Adjunct Instructor Releases First Studio Album with Ensemble “Tell Me a Story” features fusion of folk, classical music 

TYLER, Texas (July 31, 2026) – Starting musical studies on the piano at age four, Anna Larson later  discovered a passion for the violin that would lead her to pursue a life of music. As an avid chamber  musician and coach, Larson frequently performs with her husband, Kaden. The duo has now  published their first major studio album as part of the collaborative ensemble, consonari –– a group  they started in 2019 while students at Indiana University.

Released July 24, “Tell Me a Story” explores music inspired by literature, legend and folk tradition.  Evoking the timeless power of storytelling, the album features 20th and 21st-century work rooted  in nocturnes, lullabies as well as musical depictions of the moon and stars.

Larson adds that the album captures the raw emotions of the repertoire to inspire joy, peace and  comfort with each note.

“This project has been a labor of love,” said Larson, who joined The University of Texas at Tyler  faculty three years ago as an adjunct instructor. “We wanted to create something to share the joy  and magic of music and the stories it tells. Inspired by folk tales, literature and legends, each of  these pieces shares a little magic with the listener. From commissioning works from old friends to  the recording studio, to seeing our music out there in the world, it truly has been a journey.”

As a sponsored ensemble of the national Collaborative Musicians’ Project, consonari coaches and  performs side-by-side with members of their Youth Chamber Music Program and gives  performances and workshops in K-12 schools across the country. As an ensemble, consonari has  performed as guest artists and masterclass clinicians at schools and concert series nationally and  has been recognized in multiple international competitions––including receiving a Distinguished  Gold Medal at the 2023 Virtuoso Artists Festival, hosted by the Seattle International Piano Festival  and First Prize in the 2022 International Clara Schumann Competition.

A frequent orchestral musician, Larson serves as principal second violin of the Longview Symphony,  assistant concertmaster in the Millennial Choirs and Orchestras and plays as a section violinist in  multiple orchestras, including the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and New Texas Sinfonia.  Additionally, she has participated in multiple international music festivals and performed as a  soloist with the North Texas Symphony Orchestra and the Ensign Symphony and Chorus.

She teaches applied violin and chamber music classes at UT Tyler. In addition to performing, Larson  enjoys mentoring young musicians and maintains a small private studio, while also serving on the  East Texas Youth Orchestra Board of Directors. She holds Master of Music and Bachelor of Music  degrees in violin performance from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT  Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 11,500 students.  Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has  unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent  patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World  Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.

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