Akemi Takayama

Praised by legendary violinist Isaac Stern as “a true musician who will always bring credit to any group that she works with,” Akemi Takayama has built an international career as a performer, educator, and leader. Born in Japan to professional string players, she began her professional violin career at age fifteen and earned her bachelor’s degree from the Toho School of Musicunder Toshiya Eto and Ryosaku Kubota. She continued her studies with Brian Hanly at the University of Wyoming and with Donald Weilerstein at the Cleveland Institute of Music, earning her Artist Diploma and Master of Music while serving as his teaching assistant. She later completed her Doctor of Musical Arts at Stony Brook University.

A former member of the internationally acclaimed Audubon Quartet for fourteen years, Dr. Takayama also performed at the Marlboro Music Festival. She has performed extensively across Japan, France, China, and the U.S., and collaborates with The New Orchestra of Washington. Her recording with Fotina Naumenkoearned a nomination for the 67th GRAMMY® Awards, and she is also a voting member of the GRAMMY® process.

Dr. Takayama serves as Victor Brown Endowed Chair in Violin at Shenandoah Conservatory and Assistant Provost for Inclusion and Belonging at Shenandoah University. She is Concertmaster of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra (since 2007) and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra (since 2004). A dedicated educator, her students thrive as performers, educators, and producers worldwide. She performs on a 1755 Gennaro Gagliano violin, generously loaned by Japanese-American collector Dr. Ryuji Ueno.