Violinist Emily Ilyes is quickly establishing a career as both a soloist and teacher. She has performed in prestigious venues across the United States, including The Grand Ole Opry, the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Kennedy Center. Emily has also performed internationally in Argentina and Japan.

In the fall of 2023, Emily won first prize in the graduate division of the Student Soloists Competition at Shenandoah Conservatory and performed the first movement of Jean Sibelius’s concerto with the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. In 2022, she won first place in the Virginia MTNA Young Artist Performance Competition. Emily currently holds the principal second violin position with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and is a member of the first violin section with the Roanoke Symphony in Roanoke, Virginia.

Emily holds two Bachelor of Music degrees from West Virginia University (WVU), where she majored in both music education and violin performance. While at WVU, she was invited to perform in masterclasses with world-renowned violinists such as Ray Chen and Midori, and studied under the direction of Dr. Mikylah Myers. After graduating from WVU, she accepted a full tuition scholarship and a graduate teaching assistantship at Texas Christian University where she earned her master’s degree in 2021. While at TCU, she studied with Dr. Elisabeth Adkins, former assistant concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra. Emily is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at Shenandoah Conservatory, where she received a post-master’s degree scholarship and studies with Dr. Akemi Takayama, former member of the Audubon Quartet.

In addition to her career as a soloist, Emily is also passionate about music education. She currently serves on the music faculty at Longwood University as the violin professor and the director of the Chamber Orchestra. Emily has also taught as a string orchestra teacher in public and private schools located in Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Texas.

Emily currently performs on a 1769 Giuseppe Gagliano violin and a Ron Forrester bow on a generous loan from the Ryuji Ueno Foundation.