Ànnika Brynn-Lascara Jenkins, violin (Virginia Beach, Virginia), is a published author, poet, arts advocate, and young philanthropist. At age ten, Ànnika spearheaded and organized the building of a new performing arts center in her hometown.  At the opening night Gala Concert featuring Itzhak Perlman, she was presented the Key to the City by Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf. She later performed solo on NPR’s “From the Top”. Ànnika made her orchestral debut at age 11 and has performed in recitals and with orchestras throughout the United States, including Hawaii and internationally in Italy, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Russia, and the U.K. In the U.S., she has performed solo at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and the United Nations in New York. In Europe/Eurasia, she has served as Concertmaster of international festival orchestras and has performed at the Konzerthaus, Haydnsaal, DeHandelsbeurs, Alobrandeschi Castle, TBC Gallery, Mariinsky Theatre, and the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall. In 2012, Ànnika gave the world premiere of “Rhapsody on Hassidic Tunes”, written for her by Soviet-born, Armenian composer, Andrey Kasparov. Ànnika is a 2013 graduate of The Juilliard School Pre-College Division where she also studied piano and conducting and served as concertmaster of both the Pre-College Symphony and Pre-College Orchestra. She was awarded the Juilliard Commencement Award for “superior ability in the areas of violin performance, orchestra, chamber music, and academic subjects.” She has performed in master classes for Midori, David Kim, Robert Chen, Curtis Macomber, and Elmar Oliveira, among others, and has played for Joshua Bell, Arnold Steinhardt, and Sylvia Rosenberg. Ànnika currently serves as Young Artist-in-Residence of Symphonicity, the Symphony Orchestra of Virginia Beach and is a first year scholarship student at the Juilliard School where she performs in the New Juilliard Ensemble as well as the Juilliard Orchestra and was selected by faculty for the Juilliard Leadership Program. Ànnika was accepted into the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange Program and pursues academic studies at Columbia University in addition to her music studies.