Karisa Chiu – Laureate – Senior Artist 2024
Praised for her evocative performances and captivating sound, violinist Karisa Chiu has garnered critical acclaim on the international stage. Her first prize win at the 2021 Isangyun Violin Competition resulted in her debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center, and has since performed in renowned venues including Severance Hall and the Casals Forum. Karisa has received top accolades from the Menuhin, Leopold Mozart, Stulberg, and Irving M. Klein Competitions. After claiming second prize in its New York preliminary competition, she will compete in the 2025 Classic Violin Olympus Competition in Dubai. Born into a musical family, Karisa began her studies with her father, Cornelius Chiu, a first violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She collaborates frequently with her mother and uncle, pianists Inah Choi-Chiu and Frederic Chiu. As a soloist, she has performed with orchestras including Asheville Symphony, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra, and Munich Radio Orchestra.
Karisa is pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Juilliard School with Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She received her Master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her Bachelor’s from the Curtis Institute of Music. Her preceding mentors include Jaime Laredo, Malcolm Lowe, Ida Kavafian, and Almita Vamos.