Ellie Kanayama, violin (Albany, CA) is a junior at Albany High School, and is currently studying with Wei He at the Precollege Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has received top prizes in competitions, including VOCE, US Open Music, American String Teacher Association, and concerto competitions for Fremont, Nova Vista, and Young People’s Symphony Orchestras. She has played for acclaimed artists and ensembles such as the Muir String Quartet, Juilliard String Quartet, Yo-Yo Ma, Kronos String Quartet, Alexander String Quartet, and Enso Quartet. She is currently a member of the Claudius Quartet at the Young Chamber Musicians Program. Her quartet was recently awarded first prize at the Galante Competition. Kanayama is also a recipient of the Jacqueline Freiger Music Scholarship, and a violin on loan from the Chimei Museum of Taiwan. In past summers, she has studied with violinist Aaron Rosand at Summit Music Festival, and has also participated in the String Quartet Workshop at Boston University Tanglewood Institution and the International Youth Orchestra Program directed by violinist Cho-Liang Lin. This summer, she will join the National Youth Orchestra of USA 2017. Past Yellow Barn Young Artists Program participant (Summer 2016).