MEET THE SOLOIST: Karen Gomyo

Violinist Karen Gomyo performs Bruch's Violin Concerto No.1
September 23 at 8PM

Background: Violinist Karen Gomyo has captivated audiences in North America, Europe and Australasia with her musical integrity, technical assurance and compelling interpretations.

Ms. Gomyo has worked with the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, and the Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, Vancouver, Indianapolis and Oregon symphonies, among many others. Recent and upcoming appearances in North America include a tour with the Toronto Symphony to Montreal and Ottawa, debuts with the Pittsburgh and New World symphonies, Montreal’s Orchestre Metropolitain and at the Caramoor Music Festival, and re-engagements with the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and Disney Hall and the St. Louis, Detroit, Dallas, Toronto, Milwaukee, Vancouver and New Jersey symphonies and the Minnesota and the National Arts Centre orchestras. 

Internationally, Ms. Gomyo has appeared with the Philharmonia in London, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Bamberg Symphony, Danish National Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Radio France, Deutsches Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Vienna Chamber Orchestra and the Polish National Radio Orchestra in Europe; and in Australasia with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania and West Australia (Perth) symphonies as well as on tour with the New Zealand Symphony. 

Strongly committed to contemporary works, in May 2018, Ms. Gomyo performed the world premiere of Samuel Adams’ Chamber Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen to great critical acclaim. The work was written for her and commissioned by the CSO to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its MusicNow series. She also performed the North American premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s Concerto No. 2 “Mar'eh” with the composer conducting the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as Peteris Vasks' "Vox Amoris" with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra conducted by John Storgårds. In March 2024, she will premiere a double concerto written for her and trumpet player Tine Thing Helseth composed by Xi Wang with the Dallas Symphony. 

Karen Gomyo is deeply interested in the Nuevo Tango music of Astor Piazzolla and collaborates with Piazzolla’s longtime pianist and tango legend Pablo Ziegler. She also performs regularly with the Finnish guitarist Ismo Eskelinen, with whom she has appeared at the Dresden and Mainz Festivals in Germany, and in recitals in Helsinki and New York. 

Born in Tokyo, Ms. Gomyo studied in Montreal and in New York at The Juilliard School with famed violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. She plays on the “Aurora, exFoulis” Stradivarius violin of 1703 that was bought for her exclusive use by a private sponsor. 

Tickets start at $20! Click HERE or call 401-248-7000 to purchase today!