Hailed for her "magnetic, wide-ranging tone" and her "rock solid technique" (Philadelphia Inquirer), violist Ayane Kozasa enjoys a career that spans a broad spectrum of musical personas. Winner of the Primrose International Viola Competition, her two additional awards at the competition defines her passion for music: the best chamber music and best commissioned work performances. She is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet, the 2017-18 Quartet-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, grand prize winner of the 2018 MPrize Chamber Arts Competition, and first prize winner of the 2017 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. The quartet has proved to be a multi-faceted group, commissioning and touring works by world-renowned composers and pushing the boundaries of unique and thoughtful programming. Their Grammy-nominated debut album “Blueprinting” was recently released on New Amsterdam Records.

Other collaborative highlights include being a member of the viola/cello duo “Ayane & Paul” and the early/modern music mixed group, Quodlibet Ensemble. Ayane has also been a guest at the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and East Coast Chamber Orchestra.

Most recently, much of her musical work has involved being a mentor to aspiring young musicians, including being guest faculty at the Green Lake Chamber Music Camp and a mentor at the Olympic Music Festival and Musikiwest summer festival. Outside of music, she loves to perfect her pie baking skills, go camping, hike the tallest mountains, and run into the ocean.