Laurent Grillet-Kim was born in Bordeaux, France where he started playing the violin at the age of eight. After graduating from the Bordeaux conservatory he went on to study in Lyon and Boulogne-Billancourt for a short time before coming back to his native city and take private lessons with Micheline Lefebvre and Pierre Lefebvre. He then moved to the United States at Indiana University where he had the opportunity to play chamber music with the faculty members of the music school and was principal viola of the I.U. Philharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. He also was part of the Kuttner Quartet, the student resident quartet. Laurent was regularly invited to play with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra during his last year of studies. He is currently Principal Viola of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.