Dr. Marisa Ishikawa
Violinist, Educator, Entrepreneur
About
Dr. Marisa Ishikawa is a performer, entrepreneur, and educator located in Houston, TX. She serves as the second violinist of the internationally recognized Carpe Diem String Quartet. She has performed nationally in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Freer Gallery, and Jordan Hall, and internationally in Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and China. With degrees in both music and business administration, she co-founded the nonprofit chamber music organization Austin Camerata. Since 2016, Austin Camerata has been dedicated to broadening the audience for chamber music through creative artistic collaborations, performing in unique venues, and inclusive concert experiences. She is also the co-founder of Opus 1 Chamber Music School, Houston’s chamber music program for pre-college and adult students. As an educator, she has served as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Colorado Boulder and currently maintains a robust pre-college studio in Houston.
Teaching Philosophy
“Music transcends boundaries created by age, ethnicity, economic background, and language. It communicates emotions, stories, and ideas on a personal level. As a teacher, my goal is to give students the musical and technical tools needed to develop their own artistic voices and to teach them how to bring and express their ideas to communities throughout the world.”
Teaching
Dr. Ishikawa strives to cultivate independence of thought and creativity so that students can communicate their ideas to the highest musical and technical degree. Her pedagogy encompasses elements of the Suzuki, Auer, and Galamian methods and promotes proper and relaxed positioning of the violin, strong rhythmic integrity, and active listening. Her goal is for all students to develop their own musical voices, which in turn makes learning music and the violin fun and engaging.
In-person and virtual lessons are now both available! Please contact for more information.
Contact
For more information regarding individual lessons and rates, please contact via the form below!