American violinist Isabelle Ai Durrenberger delivers striking performances of communicative strength and sincere artistry. Currently based in New York City, Isabelle was is a 2023-25 fellow of Carnegie Hall’s renowned Ensemble Connect program.
An avid chamber musician, Isabelle is recognized nationally for her unique collaborative instincts. Her 2023-24 season features multiple return invitations, including performances with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Jupiter Chamber Players (NYC), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall (NYC), and the Grammy-nominated conductorless chamber orchestra, A Far Cry (Boston).
In 2022, she completed her graduate studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston with Soovin Kim and Don Weilerstein. Isabelle spent the summer of 2023 making chamber music at the Marlboro Music Festival, Lake Champlain, and Four Seasons Spring Workshop.
Isabelle also enjoys exploring music through teaching: she has a private violin studio and serves on the violin faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School where she teaches violin lessons and coaches chamber music.
Isabelle’s musical life began at birth; both of her parents are pianists and music educators. She began playing piano at age 4, but her parents noticed that she loved singing and thought she might enjoy “singing” on the violin — she began lessons at age 7. Isabelle grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and was extremely lucky to be introduced to Jaime Laredo at age 13. She attended Meadowmount School of Music for four years, graduated high school a year early, and began her undergraduate program in Cleveland at age 16.
She completed her B.M. at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she was mentored by Jaime Laredo for seven years. Her other mentors and influences include Jennifer Koh, Sharon Robinson, Joan Kwuon, Jinjoo Cho, Jan Mark Sloman, and Jun Kim.
Isabelle was the Artist Fellow of the 2021 Alone Together educational project led by Jennifer Koh and ARCO Collaborative. This unique introduction to composers such as Tania León, Du Yun, and Missy Mazzoli has inspired her to prioritize programming living composers, especially highlighting female and multicultural composers.
Isabelle has received many recognitions and awards for her musicianship. Isabelle was the winner of the 2021-22 Borromeo String Quartet Guest Award and performed alongside the quartet in Jordan Hall. In 2020, she was highlighted as the Featured Young Artist of the Music from the Western Reserve concert series. In 2019, Isabelle won the First Prize and Performance Prize from the Tuesday Musical Competition. She was awarded the Milton Preves Memorial 3rd Prize at the 2018 Irving M. Klein International String Competition in San Francisco, as well as the first prize in the 2017 Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition. Isabelle has collaborated with the Columbus Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, and Lakeside Symphony Orchestra amongst many others.
Isabelle was a semifinalist in the 2022 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, a semifinalist in the 2021 Young Concert Artists Audition, a candidate in the 2019 Sendai International Music Competition, 2017 Isang Yun Violin Competition, and 2017 Stulberg International String Competition. She has participated in masterclasses with Mihaela Martin, Olivier Charlier, David Chan, Noah Bendix-Balgley, and attended the IMS Prussia Cove in the class of Gerhard Schulz. Isabelle performed several times at Carnegie Hall as a member of the New York String Orchestra Seminar.
Born in Taipei in 1998, Isabelle is of Japanese, Taiwanese, and American descent. She performs on a 2020 Zygmuntowicz violin generously loaned to her by a private patron in New York City.