Mariama Alcantara

Born in Brazil, violinist Mariama Alcantara grew up in a musical family, making her solo debut at the age of 12 with the Paraiba Symphony Orchestra. Presently, she is performing as a member of the Iris Orchestra and Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Upon graduating with her bachelor’s degree under the tutelage of Soh-Hyun Altino at the University of Memphis, Alcantara won the position of Artist Fellow with the Iris Chamber Orchestra (IAF Program) and performed with the orchestra during the 2016-2017 season, as well as received mentorship from conductor Michael Stern and several visiting artists. She was also a member of the in-residence string trio, performing outreach concerts regularly, planning and implementing community-based music projects and activities. Passionate about improving equality and diversity in classical music, Alcantara holds the distinction of working with the Boulanger Initiative as a researcher, an advocate of women composers based in Washington, D.C. The Initiative promotes music composed by women through performance, education, commissions and consultations. Festival appearances include Mozarteum Summer Academy (Austria), Rencontres Musicales Internationales en Graves (France), Sphinx NAAS Audition Intensive, Dalí Quartet International Chamber Music Festival, Wintergreen Summer Academy, Virtuosi (Brazil), and Penn’s Woods Festival. Most recently, Alcantara has collaborated with the Aizuri Quartet and shared the stage with the Transiberian Orchestra, Snoop Dog, Corky Siegel, as well as many Brazilian artists. She received her master’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University as a student and teaching assistant of James Lyon. A 2019 recipient of the prestigious Starling Fellowship, Alcantara is pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder under the tutelage of Harumi Rhodes of the Takács Quartet. She is very grateful to her teachers for their generosity and encouragement.