Karisa Chiu

Biography supplied for the 2026 competition.

Recognized for her “rare capacity to project a totally distinctive and fascinating intellect” (Spokesman Review) and easy virtuosity...humor, nuance ... [and] playful[ness]” (Cleveland Classical), American violinist Karisa Chiu first came to international prominence with her first prize win at the 2021 Isangyun Violin Competition, resulting in her debut with the KBS Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center. She has since appeared on major stages worldwide, including Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the Casals Forum. A top prize winner of the Singapore, Menuhin, Leopold Mozart, and Irving M. Klein Competitions, Karisa continues to earn recognition for her artistry. Her debut album, titled Home, in collaboration with pianist Zhu Wang and Cedille Records, released to critical acclaim. Raised in a musical family, Karisa began her studies at age two with her father, Cornelius Chiu, a first violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She collaborates frequently with her mother and uncle, pianists Inah Chiu and Frederic Chiu. The Chiu family has given annual concerts for two decades at the Festival of the Arts at Mohonk Mountain House. Karisa continues her familial musical traditions through the Plymouth Chamber Players, a Michigan-based concert series that she co-directs with her husband, Chicago Symphony Orchestra violist Paolo Dara. Karisa received an Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, a Master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. Her mentors include renowned pedagogues Catherine Cho, Donald Weilerstein, Jaime Laredo, Malcolm Lowe, Ida Kavafian, and Almita Vamos.