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Local musician says adieu Iowa, kwe kwe Hollywood

A female violinist plays with her eyes closed.
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
Geneviève Gros-Louis' 'bon voyage' concert at xBk Live in Des Moines featured performances from Lani, Sara Routh, Danny Grause and her Dueling Fiddles counterpart Hanna Wolle.

After her decade-long stay in the first violin section with the Des Moines Symphony, Geneviève Gros-Louis (formerly Salamone) is moving to Los Angeles, Calif., to pursue a career in film scoring.

Last year, she performed an original composition at the Cannes Film Festival before the premiere of the Martin Scorsese movie Killers of the Flower Moon. She also received her first composing credit for season three of National Geographic’s Life Below Zero: First Alaskans.

On Jan. 5, Gros-Louis gave a farewell concert at xBk Live in Des Moines, which featured performances from several local musicians.

Two violinists perform, illuminated by starry lights.
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
Geneviève Gros-Louis and Hanna Wolle perform together under the name 'Dueling Fiddles.'

Playing Cannes

Ahead of the world premiere of Killers of the Flower Moon at the Cannes Film Festival, audiences were brought to tears by the sound of Gros-Louis’ violin. For 20 minutes she played a piece of music she wrote specifically for the occasion, honoring the Osage people and the story that was about to unfold.

“I was crying. Everybody was crying,” Gros-Louis recalled. “There was not a dry eye in the room.”

The film traces the horrors endured by the Osage Nation in Oklahoma during a period known as the Reign of Terror. In a series of grisly murders carried out between 1918 and 1931, dozens of Osage people were killed and went missing at the hands of their white, money-hungry neighbors.

A descendant of one of the Osage men murdered during that time is Dante Biss-Grayson, whose great grandfather is depicted in the film. Biss-Grayson worked with Scorsese on Killers of the Flower Moon and invited Gros-Louis to perform an original score at the premiere.

CONDUIT OF ANGUISH

Since telling stories through music is her passion, Gros-Louis was honored to accept.

“There are so many stories like this that have not been told,” Gros-Louis said. “It's hard to talk about traumatic things, but the way to begin the process of healing is to talk about it. I feel like, at least in collaboration with Dante, there is a way to honor these stories. There's a void that music can fill in these kinds of moments.”

Filling the void

Gros-Louis is a member of the Huron-Wendat Nation in Quebec, Canada. She has dedicated her life to playing music but only recently started writing her own pieces.

Like many during the pandemic, she had time on her hands and a lot on her mind.

“I only started composing in 2020. It’s the craziest thing. It just all happened so fast,” Gros-Louis recalled. “I didn't realize that I had this fire burning within me to tell these stories. I had no idea until I started doing it, and it took COVID and all of my gigs stopping for me to sit at the piano and realize, ‘I love doing this.’”

A keyboardist and violinist perform behind mics and a music stand.
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
At her farewell show, Geneviève was joined by Colombian-American pop singer Lani for a reinvention of Radiohead's "Creep" as a stirring ballad.

In 2021, she released her debut album, Catharsis. Consisting of violin and synth instrumentals, the album reflects on 15 years of childhood sexual abuse and the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that followed. For Gros-Louis, expressing her emotions through composing helped her heal.

“It's like opening a box, and everything was just coming out all at once,” Gros-Louis said. “That album was all about me telling my trauma narrative.”

Storytelling through music is a principle component of all her projects and serves as the tagline for her recording label, Wendat Records.

“I love to use my art as an avenue for creating change and sparking conversations,” she said.

Geneviève Gros-Louis smiles with her violin in front of a screen that reads 'Wendat Records.'
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
Geneviève Gros-Louis is a member of the Huron-Wendat Nation in Quebec, Canada. She has dedicated her life to playing music but only recently started writing her own pieces.

One such change Gros-Louis has seen is in the music and film industry, which she says is now more welcoming of Indigenous voices.

“I think that we're at a really important time right now where people are starting to listen, and they're starting to understand that it matters who tells the story,” she said.

Composing for television and film

When National Geographic reached out to Gros-Louis in early 2023 to write the score for the next season of Life Below Zero: First Alaskans, she couldn’t believe it. A couple months later, she was once again using her talent for sharing stories through music, bringing new life to the show.

Making the transition from live performances to studio recordings for TV was a new experience for Gros-Louis, but she was ready for the challenge.

“It's very surreal because it's been such an incredible process so far, just to see how the world works in that industry,” she said.

A female violinist performs in front of a video of herself doing the same.
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
Geneviève's performance included music videos, clips and authorized sneak peeks from her work in film and television.

According to Gros-Louis, her work with National Geographic is just the beginning.

“I have some other really exciting contracts I can't talk about yet, but it will be out in time,” she revealed.

As more composing opportunities started coming her way, she decided it was time to relocate from Des Moines to Los Angeles.

“Everything kind of just happens for a reason. This path keeps unfolding, and I'm just following it,” she said. “I'm doing what I love, and I'm working with people I love to work with. Everything is just falling into place right now. I'm still working with these incredible musicians from Iowa, even though I'm living in L.A.”

Bon voyage concert

On the evening of Jan. 5, Gros-Louis gave a farewell concert for fans in Des Moines at xBk Live. She was joined on stage by friends and fellow musicians, including her Dueling Fiddles partner Hanna Wolle, as well Sara Routh, Danny Grause and Lani.

“One of my favorite things to do in my shows is to invite my friends that I perform with and produce and work with all the time,” Gros-Louis said. “There's some magic in that energy on stage, especially in a live setting.”

A violinist and a guitarist stand together.
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
Danny Grause joined Geneviève Gros-Louis for a few songs at xBk Live in Des Moines.

The show featured the original composition Gros-Louis performed at Cannes, “Flower Moon: Honoring the Osage,” as well as some of her music from Life Below Zero: First Alaskans.

For Gros-Louis, the farewell concert offered her a chance to commemorate all the connections she forged within the Iowa music community over the past 10 years.

“This is like my celebration of my time here in Des Moines,” she said.

A singer and violinist perform to a crowd with projections of large outdoor structures and indigenous writings.
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
Geneviève Gros-Louis and Sara Routh performed a moving piece as footage of open land drilling faded onscreen. Earlier in the evening, the pair paid tribute to Robbie Robertson with a slowed-down rendition of "The Weight."

She especially wanted to recognize the Des Moines Symphony for the impact it has had on her career.

I owe so much to my time at the Des Moines Symphony because I learned how to be a musician there,” she said. “It was a beautiful place for me to thrive and grow.”

As she moves on to a new chapter in her music career, Gros-Louis said she will forever hold Des Moines in her heart.

“I am so grateful for my time here,” she said. “Des Moines is always going to have a special place in my heart no matter where I live in the world.”

Five musicians onstage celebrate the one farthest to the left.
Lucius Pham
/
IPR
Geneviève had a little help that night from local musicians Lani, Hanna Wolle, Sara Routh and Danny Grause.

Nicole Baxter is a digital producer and writer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Since 2024, Baxter has worked with IPR's news team to bring news stories to IPR's digital audience, including writing features about Iowa's film scene.