Ayako Gamo
First Violin
Ayako Gamo has spent the past two decades as a violinist in various American symphonies. From 2005–2018, Gamo played in the first violin section for the Seattle Symphony, winning multiple accolades and awards — including multiple Grammy Awards and the 2018 orchestra of the year by Gramophone. Prior to Seattle, Gamo performed with the Oregon Symphony (2003-2005) and has played as a substitute in the Chicago Symphony.
Before joining the Charlotte Symphony in 2022, she maintained a small studio in Austin, Texas, where she played in the Austin Symphony. Gamo holds a master’s degree in music performance from the Juilliard School of Music, where she was a recipient of the C.V. Starr Scholarship. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in music performance from the New England Conservatory, where she won the school-wide concerto competition and performed Bartok’s Violin Concerto at the historic Jordan Hall. Ayako’s teachers include Joel Smirnoff, Michelle Auclair, and Ryosaku Kubota. Her chamber music coaches include: James Dunham, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Harvey Shapiro.
