Dr. Marisa Ishikawa is an avid performer, educator, and entrepreneur based in Houston, TX. As a teacher, she is passionate about cultivating a love for music in her students. As a performer, she is devoted to curating and presenting inclusive and engaging performances that showcase diverse composers and styles of music. Dr. Ishikawa holds a BM in violin performance and BS in Business Administration from the University of Colorado Boulder, an MM in violin performance from the University of Texas Austin, and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her final thesis was titled “Keeping and Retaining Audiences in Today’s Classical World,” and explored reasons for and solutions to classical music’s declining audiences.
Dr. Ishikawa has worked with numerous artists, such as Glenn Dicterow, Alexander Kerr, Ani Kavafian, Stephen Rose, the Takács String Quartet, and the Miró String Quartet. 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 participated in the National Repertory Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival. Dr. Ishikawa is a founder of Austin Camerata, a nonprofit organization that brings classical chamber music to new audiences through creative concerts, community engagement, and artistic collaborations. She is also a co-founder of the Opus 1 Chamber Music School, an organization that provides chamber music education to pre-college and adult musicians in Houston, TX. In her free time, Dr. Ishikawa enjoys yoga and cooking her favorite recipes from NYT Cooking.