Lina Nakano won First Prize at the 2026 Naumburg International Violin Competition on November 1, 2026: $25,000, two fully subsidized New York City recitals, a recital at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a commissioned work, and a recording of that work. Jinhee Park was her pianist in the final round.

Lina Nakano is acclaimed as one of the most promising young violinists of her generation. She is currently studying at The Juilliard School as a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship under the guidance of Masao Kawasaki. Lina first drew international attention at age ten, winning the Grand Prize at the Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition (2015).

She later won First Prizes at the 3rd Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians (2019) and the 90th Music Competition of Japan (2021). In 2022, she became the youngest-ever First Prize laureate of the 8th Sendai International Music Competition. She began her musical education at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, where she studied under Chihiro Morikawa and Akiko Tatsumi, and was an Ezaki Scholarship recipient for part of her studies.

Since 2015, she has studied with Paul Roczek, whose mentorship has deeply influenced her musical growth and artistic values. She also studied with Dalibor Karvay at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, completing its certificate course in 2024. She also held a ROHM Music Foundation Scholarship (2023–2025). As a soloist, Lina has appeared regularly with Japan’s leading orchestras, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra.

In addition, she has given recitals nationwide, released two CDs, and her artistry has been featured across various media. She performs on the 1702 Stradivarius “Lyall,” generously on loan from the ITOH Foundation.

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