Keila Wakao

Sunday, February 1
Mozart: A Family Affair

Keila Wakao made her Boston Symphony Orchestra debut for the BSO’s Season Opening Night Gala concert in September 2024 under Andris Nelsons.

She was also invited to perform as the sole performer at the unveiling of Seiji Ozawa’s sculpture at Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood (July 2025), an event attended by members of  Seiji Ozawa’s family, John Williams, and other distinguished guests.

Keila Wakao won 1st Prize in the 2021 Menuhin International Violin Competition Junior Division and the composer award for outstanding performance of a commissioned work, and was also awarded the Gold Medal and Bach Prize at the 2021 Stulberg International String Competition. In 2023, she was awarded the Aoyama Music Foundation Award in Japan for upcoming artists, and is a recipient of Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant in New York. In 2024, she was awarded the Next Generation Distinguished Cultural Achievement Award from the Japan Society of Boston, and was also featured on CBS Boston’s television news. ​

You can learn more about Keila at her website https://www.keilawakao.com/.