About this Artist

Lio (he/they) is a 15-year-old violinist and composer. Lio just finished their freshman year at a high school for the arts in San Gabriel Valley. Since 7th grade, they have been participating in Brightwork High School Composer Initiative with Nina Shekhar as their mentor. Lio has been playing the violin since 5 years old, and currently studies with Elizabeth Hedman at Pasadena Conservatory of Music. They are also a member of Pasadena Youth Symphony Philharmonic for the past two years and had an opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in the summer of 2022. Lio is very proud of their Japanese heritage and has been participating in Japanese American community events such as Nisei Week Parade as a Nihon Buyou (Japanese folk dance) dancer since they were 4 years old. Lio is interested in music from both the East and West and aspires to be someone who can bridge the two cultures through language and music.