Akemi Takayama is a professor at Shenandoah Conservatory, where she holds the Victor Brown Endowed Chair in Violin. Since 2004, she has also been serving as the concertmaster of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, and since 2007, she has also been serving as the concertmaster for the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra. A native of Japan, Takayama’s professional violin career began in Japan at the age of fifteen. She has performed throughout Japan, France, and the United States; recent symphony collaborations in Virginia include the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Opera Roanoke, Shenandoah Performs, the Chamber Orchestra of Southwest Virginia, and Williamsburg Symphonia. Takayama was a member of the internationally renowned Audubon Quartet for fourteen years while the group toured regionally and nationally.
Recent solo performances with orchestras include Daugherty’s Fire and Blood and Ladder to the Moon, Mendelssohn’s Double Concerto, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Piazzolla’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, Pärt’s Fratres, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Triple Concerto and Brahms’s Double Concerto for violin and cello, Mozart’s Violin Concerto, Roskott’s Violin Concerto, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and Double Concerto. Acclaimed by Isaac Stern as a “true musician,” she was invited to the Marlboro Music Festival and has served on the faculties of the Chautauqua Institute in New York, the Idyllwild School for the Arts in California, the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina, Shenandoah Performs in Virginia, and at Virginia Tech. Takayama is active as an educator and arts advocate throughout Virginia.
She was a violinist on the 2025 Grammy-nominated album Bespoke, a genre-defying project composed by Jonathan Newman and conducted by Fotina Naumenko. Takayama is deeply honored to have collaborated with such visionary artists and celebrates the album’s recognition as a testament to creative excellence.
Countless of her violin students have active performing careers in chamber music, orchestras, country music, and CD recordings. Many have been accepted to or continued on to Master of Music or Doctor of Musical Arts programs. One of her current students was recently appointed as a visiting professor at Longwood University, exemplifying the level of professionalism and artistic achievement fostered under her mentorship.
Charleston International Music Competition, Global International Music Competition, Petrichor International Music Competition, Virginia String Teachers Association, Music Teacher’s National Association, Kings Peak International Music Competition, North American Virtuoso International Music Competition, London Classical Music Competition, Bluegrass Entertainers of the Year SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music Association), Marion Park Lewis Foundation, Ryuji Ueno Foundation.
Oberlin College, University of Maryland, Roosevelt University, NYU Steinhardt, Penn State University, Stony Brook University, Lynn University, Florida State University, University of Miami/Frost School of Music, Arizona State University, Manhattan School of Music, Indiana University, University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA), Case Western Reserve University, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, East Carolina University, The Catholic University of America, University of York (UK), Royal Academy of London, Queens College/Aaron Copland School of Music, Boston University, Michigan State University, Boston Conservatory, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (England), Queens University (Ireland).
Executive Director/Early Music America, Member/Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Member/Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, New Orchestra of Washington, Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, Concertmaster/Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Greater Washington (PACO), Concertmaster/National String Symphonia (NSS), Member/Apollo Orchestra, Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, Argot String Quartet, Annapolis Symphony, National String Symphonia (Rockville, MD), Adjunct Professor/Bridgewater College, Frederick (MD) Community College, Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) Woodbridge campus, Instructor/Trenton Music Makers (El Sistema), State College Music Academy, State College Suzuki Program, South Shore Symphony Orchestra, Long Island Studio of Music, University of South Carolina, Suzuki Academy of Columbia, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Principal Violist of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Prince William Symphony Orchestra, Washington Bach Consort, Duke Vespers Ensemble.
As part of her scholarly work, Takayama authored Dr. Ryuji Ueno’s Delta Method, a pedagogical system that integrates scientific insight with violin technique and artistry. The method has shaped her teaching philosophy and is being adopted by a growing number of educators and students.
Takayama performed all Beethoven sonatas for violin and piano in duo with renowned pianist John O’Conor. Her ongoing projects include completing her doctorate degree at Stony Brook University and an association with The New Orchestra of Washington. During her previous graduate studies, Takayama was a teaching assistant to the renowned Donald Weilerstein at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she earned both an Artist Diploma and a Master of Music degree. She previously studied with Toshiya Eto and Ryosaku Kubota at the Toho School of Music in Tokyo,where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance, and with Brian Hanly at the University of Wyoming (Professional Studies degree). Her recordings with the Audubon Quartet are on the Centaur and Composers Recordings labels. Her solo recordings are found on Blackwater Recording. She plays on a Gennaro Gagliano violin made in 1755, kindly loaned by Japanese-American collector and philanthropist Dr. Ryuji Ueno.
In the fall of 2012, she served on the faculty at Oberlin Conservatory. Takayama has served as a judge for Music Teachers National Association, Virginia String Teachers Association, The Violin Society of America, Japan Strings Competition, American Virtuoso International Music Competition (AVIMC), and most recently, the prestigious Washington International Competition.