Brenda Ishikawa

Brenda Ishikawa has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and throughout the United States. She taught music history and theory at the University of Colorado at Denver from 1993 until 2006, and piano at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 1978 until 1991. Ishikawa operates a successful piano studio, and many of her students have won awards in competition. She has been invited to adjudicate for competitions and festivals, such as those sponsored by the Colorado Music Teachers Association and the Kawai America Piano Competition. Ishikawa is also sought after as a master class teacher. She earned Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Piano Performance from Northwestern University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Piano Performance, Literature, and Pedagogy: Process of Group Environments from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

One of the most unique and sought-after chamber ensembles on the concert stage today, the Carpe Diem String Quartet is a boundary-breaking ensemble that has earned widespread critical acclaim. Carpe Diem defies easy classification with programming that includes classical, Romani, tango, folk, pop, rock, and jazz-inspired music. The Quartet appears regularly on traditional concert series stages like Carnegie Hall in New York City, Jordan Hall in Boston, The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, The Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, National Library Concert Hall in Beijing, and The BinHai Performing Arts Center in Tianjin, as well as in unconventional venues like Poisson Rouge in NYC, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society of Half-Moon Bay, CA, and the Mug & Brush in Columbus, OH. “The Carpe Diem players turned in a fiery and flexible performance that was astonishingly free…” (The New York Times)