Ken Hamao

ken hamao

Biography

Ken Hamao is a Masters student at the Juilliard School, where he studies with Masao Kawasaki. His prior teachers include Robert Lipsett, 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.

He completed his undergraduate degree from Columbia University, where he co-founded fourbythree, a conductor-less ensemble that explores both well-known and unusual repertoire and the connection in-between. He also recently formed the MO Quartet with Natalie Lin, Danny Lai, and Andris Koh, having met at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

Ken was the youngest and first high school concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony. In addition to being a violinist, he has served as Principal Violist at Crossroads Chamber and Colburn Chamber Orchestras.

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.

He has attended multiple summer festivals, including the ENCORE School for Strings, Saito-Kinen Festival in Japan, and the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he was invited to perform with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a special event. He has also soloed with Gil Shaham in a Baroque Evening concert in Aspen.

Ken has been a prizewinner at several competitions, including the International Violin Competition Sion Valais, the Bronislaw Kaper Awards, Kingsville International Violin Competition, Young Musician Foundation Debut Concerto Competition, and the American Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. He was also a semi-finalist at Concours Long-Thibaud in Paris.