Biography
Dr. Ishikawa is an avid performer, educator, and entrepreneur based in Houston, TX. As the second violinist of the internationally renowned Carpe Diem String Quartet and co-founder of the arts non-profit Austin Camerata, she is devoted to curating and presenting inclusive and engaging performances that showcase diverse composers and styles of music. As a violin teacher and a founder and faculty member of Opus 1 Chamber Music School, she is passionate about cultivating a love for music in her students.
Dr. Ishikawa has performed in Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Freer Gallery, and Jordan Hall, and in international locations including Siena (Italy), Amsterdam and Weesp (The Netherlands), Grenada and Àvila (Spain), Bern (Switzerland), and Beijing and Tianjin (China). With Carpe Diem String Quartet, she appears on the recording Dances of the Yogurt Maker, which features the string chamber works of Turkish composer Erberk Eryilmaz. This album was released in May 2021 on the MSR label, was included in producer Judith Sherman’s Grammy Award win for Best Classical Producer, and received Gold Prize in the Global Music Awards. Dr. Ishikawa also composed her first work for string quartet as part of its interactive virtual performance An American Story. This performance was sponsored by the PNC Arts Alive Grant and was released in May 2021. As a soloist, Dr. Ishikawa has performed with the National Repertory Orchestra, the Austin Civic Orchestra, and the Greater Boulder Youth Orchestra. Additionally, she has performed with ensembles including Houston Grand Opera, Kinetic Ensemble, Opera Colorado, Waco Symphony, and the Boulder Philharmonic.
Dr. Ishikawa co-founded the nonprofit chamber music organization Austin Camerata. Its mission is to enrich the city of Austin, TX by introducing new audiences to the world of chamber music through creative concerts, artistic collaborations, and community outreach. Dedicated to broadening the audience for chamber music, Austin Camerata performs an array of repertoire, from the most revered classical masterpieces to newly written, genre-defying works. The ensemble is known for creative artistic collaborations that augment the music’s emotional power, and performances frequently feature collaborations with visual art, creative writing, and dance ranging in style from flamenco, to hip-hop, to ballet. Austin Camerata’s past performances have nominated it for “Best Classical Ensemble” in the 2018 Austin Critics Table awards, and have elicited responses such as, “From where I sit, ‘Austin Camerata’ translates into ‘unadulterated beauty,” (Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman) and “I laughed, I cried – a cliché, but I can’t think of a single other entertainment experience that elicited so much thought and emotion” (2017 audience member).
In 2021, Dr. Ishikawa co-founded Opus 1 Chamber Music School, Houston’s chamber music program. Opus 1’s goal is to create experiences and ensembles – tailored to the unique personality and playing of every student – that foster students’ sense of community, high standards, camaraderie, and enthusiasm for chamber music. Through the program, students have worked with world renowned guest artists such as Paul Kantor, Norman Fischer, and John Largess, and have participated in live rounds of national competitions such as Coltman Chamber Music Competition. Whether students intend to pursue music as a career or as a lifelong hobby, Opus 1 equips them with the interpersonal and musical skills and passion that chamber music uniquely provides.
Dr. Ishikawa was born in Boulder, Colorado and began playing the violin at the age of three. Between 2011 and 2015, she earned a Bachelor of Music with Highest Honors from the University of Colorado Boulder. Simultaneously, she received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with High Distinction from CU Leeds School of Business. From 2015 to 2017, Dr. Ishikawa studied with Brian Lewis at the University of Texas Austin, where she received the Starling Distinguished Violinist Scholarship and earned a Master of Music degree. In 2020, she earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from CU Boulder under Charles Wetherbee. Her final thesis, Keeping and Retaining Audiences in Today’s Classical World, explores reasons for and solutions to classical music’s declining audience population. Solutions include forming relationships with audience members, programming underrepresented musical voices, and presenting artistically collaborative performances.
Dr. Ishikawa has worked with numerous artists, such as Glenn Dicterow, Naoko Tanaka, Alexander Kerr, Rachel Barton Pine, Ani Kavafian, Peter Otto, Stephen Rose, the Takács String Quartet, and the Miró String Quartet. Additionally, she has participated in the National Repertory Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival. She performs on a 2014 violin by Howard Needham, and uses bows by John Dodd (19th century), Charles Espey (21st century), and David Samuels (21st century).
In her free time, Dr. Ishikawa enjoys cooking and practicing yoga.