Biography

Yumi Okada first rose to fame when she won the highly acclaimed Soloist Competition of Japan in Tokyo in 1998. She soon followed suit with another 1^st prize win at the esteemed All-Japan Performance Association Competition in Nagoya the same year. She has since enjoyed a versatile career and garners a reputation as an award-winning soloist, chamber musician and concertmistress in various stages around the world. The following string of accomplishments attests to her unrelenting pursuance towards perfectionism:

1^st prize in Aichi Arts Foundation Competition in 2006 in Japan.
1^st place in Concerto Competition and Honors Competition in 2003.
1^st place in Soloist Competition of Japan in Tokyo.
Won the 1998 All-Japan Performance Association Competition in Nagoya and performed a debut concert in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.
In 2004, she performed for world renowned composer Elliott Carter and performed his violin solo piece on his 95^th birthday concert.
She also co-founded VOX, a string trio in 2003. The trio has performed in various major events and was selected as a Residence Artist in Banff International Chamber Music Festival. As an integral member of the trio, she led the group to the finals of the Coleman Chamber Music Competition and was a semi-finalist in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
3^rd prize from the International Chamber Ensemble Competition of New England in 2005.

Prior achieving her international stature, Ms.Okada earned her Bachelor of Arts degree studying with Michael Vaiman at the Fine Arts University of Aichi where she graduated with the esteemed Kuwabara award. In 2002, she graduated from Indiana University with a performance diploma under the tutelage of Ilya Kaler and Nelli Shkolnikova. Her remarkable talent and determination paved the way for her acceptance into Longy School Music of Boston’s highly reputed Artist Diploma program under the Lia and William Poorve’s full scholarship. In recognition for her artistic excellence and superior academic contribution, the scholarship was further extended for her Masters in Music Degree at the same institution.

An avid and sought-after chamber musician, she also lent her star-power when she appeared for an Up, Close and Personal exclusive in WGBH Mark’s Classical Caravan radio show. Effective 2009, Ms. Okada was commissioned indefinitely to lead Ars Nova Chamber Orchestra as its Concertmistress in Washington DC, and previously held the same post for the Washington Sinfonietta since 2006. At present, she serves as the Assistant Concertmistress at the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. Internationally, Ms. Okada has been contracted as a soloist for the eleventh consecutive year to perform with the Osaka Arte Philharmonic Orchestra in Japan.

When not flexing her artistic arm, Ms. Okada is an active ambassador of the classical music genre. She has been on the faculty of Concord Conservatory of Music since 2007 and a sectional coach for the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also frequently invited to give master classes at several universities in Japan. In her free-time, she finds tremendous joy in playing for the underprivileged and frequently volunteers to entertain at the nursing homes.