Michelle Maruyama

Michelle Maruyama began violin lessons at age 4 after seeing Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street. She received a Bachelor’s in Violin Performance and Master’s in Chamber Music Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied violin with Ian Swensen and was heavily influenced by Mark Sokol. Studying chamber music of the 2nd Viennese school, Charles Ives, and late works of Beethoven with Mark remains the highlight of her musical life. She has traveled extensively as a violinist, to Central Asia as a Carnegie Fellow, to Rome with the New World Symphony, and throughout North America as Concertmaster of the 25th Anniversary Les Miserables, First National Bridges of Madison County and Phantom of the Opera tours. Closer to home, she has twice performed as soloist with the Santa Rosa Symphony, where she has been Assistant Principal Second Violin for twenty years. Currently, Michelle lives in San Francisco, where she enjoys Golden Gate Park and dreams of having a dog someday.