Ayako Yonetani is an internationally acclaimed violinist, praised for her expressive artistry and distinguished career as both performer and educator. Born in Kobe, Japan, she began violin studies at the age of five with the renowned Saburo Sumi. After winning the Japan National Competition at age nine, she rapidly emerged among Japan’s leading young violinists, appearing as soloist with major orchestras including the NHK Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, and Gunma Symphony, before continuing her musical journey in the United States.
Dr. Yonetani holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Hyo Kang and the legendary Dorothy DeLay. From 1989, she served as DeLay’s teaching assistant at the Juilliard Pre-College Division and at the Aspen Music Festival and School, contributing to the artistic development of the next generation of violinists.
Since relocating to the U.S. in 1982, Dr. Yonetani has maintained a vibrant international performance career. She has presented solo recitals and appeared with orchestras across major American cities, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Orlando. Her global engagements have taken her to prestigious stages such as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Salzburg’s Mozarteum, Vienna’s Musikverein, Tokyo’s Kioi Hall, Dresden’s Semperoper, Dome Umenia in Slovakia, and Astana City Hall in Kazakhstan. Notably, she performed for the President of Panama and the Japanese Ambassador to Panama in commemoration of Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
As a recording artist and collaborator, Dr. Yonetani has released four solo concerto CDs, including works by Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Bruch, and Brahms. Her recording of the Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn concertos with the Slovak State Philharmonic was named “CD of the Month” by WMFE 90.7 FM. She has also recorded six ensemble albums with Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, and her Japanese translation of Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician (Ongaku no Tomo, 2001) has reached multiple printings.
Widely admired for her interpretation of Bach’s Chaconne, Dr. Yonetani has performed the work annually for the Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute since 1998, where she was named an Honorary Henry Crown Fellow in 2006. She was also the first violinist selected as an official artist for the Florida State Touring Program (2006–2017).
Dr. Yonetani is Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Central Florida, Director of the UCF Graduate String Quartet Program, and a longtime member of Japan’s premier chamber ensemble, the Kioi Hall Chamber Orchestra (formerly Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo). Her upcoming season includes concerto appearances with the Slovak State Philharmonic and the Uzhhorod Philharmonic Orchestra (Ukraine), chamber performances, quartet concerts, and solo recitals in Japan.