Ayane Kozasa

Japan

Hailed for her “magnetic, wide-ranging tone” and her “rock solid technique” (Philadelphia Inquirer), violist Ayane Kozasa enjoys a career that spans a broad spectrum of musical personas. Winner of the 2011 Primrose International Viola Competition and the 2015 career grant recipient from the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, she has devoted her life to the advancement of both solo viola and chamber music repertoire. She is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet, winner of the 2017 Osaka Chamber Music Competition and 2017-18 Quartet-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ms. Kozasa is also a member of “Ayane & Paul,” a genre-bending viola/cello duo and the electro-acoustic string trio “Bird’s-Eye Trio”. Ms. Kozasa has played with notable ensembles such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She received her undergraduate degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and diplomas from the Curtis Institute of Music and Kronberg Academy in Germany. She is grateful for the mentorship she received from her past teachers, Nobuko Imai, Kirsten Docter, Roberto Diaz, Misha Amory, and Michael Tree.