Ayane Kozasa, viola, enjoys a career that spans a broad spectrum of musical personas. Winner of the 2011 Primrose International Viola Competition, the 2012 S&R Washington Award, and the 2015 career grant recipient from the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, she has devoted her life to the advancement of both solo viola and chamber music repertoire. She is a founding member of the Aizuri Quartet, grand prize winner of the prestigious M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and the 2017-18 Quartet-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The quartet has garnered critical acclaim for their innovative programming, and has collaborated with venerable artists such as Silkroad shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki, cellist Peter Wiley, and violist Roberto Dìaz. In addition to the quartet, Ayane is also a member of "Ayane & Paul", a viola/cello duo and the electro-acoustic string trio "Bird’s-Eye Trio". Ayane has played with notable ensembles such as The Philadelphia Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She received her undergraduate degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and diplomas from the Curtis Institute of Music and Kronberg Academy in Germany. Her most influential mentors include Nobuko Imai, Kirsten Docter, Roberto Diaz, Misha Amory, and Michael Tree.