Ken Hamao

ken hamao

Biography

Ken Hamao is a sophomore in the Barnard-Columbia-Juilliard Exchange Program where he takes weekly violin lessons at the Juilliard School with Masao Kawasaki, while taking regular classes at Columbia University. Prior to college, he studied the violin with Robert Lipsett at Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Born to a musical family, Ken began studying the violin when he was four years old, and has had lessons with Anna Pelekh, Zakhar Bron, Naoko Tanaka, and Amy Hershberger. He has also had masterclasses and lessons with Christiane Edinger, Ivry Gitlis, Peter Oundjian, Sylvia Rosenberg, Tsugio Tokunaga, and Pinchas Zukerman.

At Columbia, Ken has formed a string quartet with other fellow students in the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange Program. This quartet is coached by Robert Mann. Ken has been studying chamber music at Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto, Japan, New York String Orchestra Seminar, Colburn School, Crossroads School, and ENCORE School for Strings in Ohio. In addition to being a violinist, he has served as Principal Violist at Crossroads Chamber and Colburn Chamber Orchestras. Ken has actively participated in Colburn School’s “Musical Encounter” program and played solo and chamber music in many Los Angeles inner city elementary schools.

As Concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony in Los Angeles, Ken performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and Royce Hall. He was also Concertmaster of the Crossroads Chamber Orchestra. Since the 9^th grade at Crossroads School, Ken has been expanding his musical interests to composition and conducting.

Ken has appeared as a soloist with the American Youth Symphony, Young Musician's Foundation Debut Orchestra, Pasadena Pops Orchestra, Herbert Zipper Orchestra, Desert Symphony, among others.

Ken has been a prizewinner at several competitions, including the Bronislaw Kaper Awards Competition, Kingsville International Violin Competition, Young Musician Foundation Debut Concerto Competition, and the American Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. He is also a recipient of Lois Lian Scholarship, Westside Committee of Los Angeles Philharmonic Award, Dorothy Richard Starling Foundation Scholarship, the Young Musicians Foundation’s Samantha and John Williams, Norman Ackerberg Memorial, Martin Rackin Memorial, and David Rose Memorial Violin Scholarships, Florida Adelstein Scholarship, Léni FéBland Scholarship, Colburn Foundation Scholarship, and Elizabeth Mandell Music Institute – Heller Foundation Scholarship.