Praised for her “sensitive musicianship and communication” (The Strad), Masha Lakisova is fast becoming one of the rising stars of her generation. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree at New England Conservatory under the instruction of Miriam Fried. As a soloist, Masha has taken top prizes at the Stulberg, Klein, and Tibor Junior International Competitions, and most recently, the World’s
Biggest Stage Competition. She has appeared with orchestras worldwide such as Kremerata Baltica, HEMU, Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, Northbrook
Symphony, Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, Highland Park Strings, and Lake Forest Symphony. Masha graduated from Juilliard Pre-College in 2020 as a student of Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin. She is forever grateful for the time and dedication that all of her former teachers – Grigory Kalinovsky, Drew Lecher, and Larisa Zhizhin – have invested in her. In addition to her private studies, Masha has been inspired through lessons and masterclasses with many other prominent artists and virtuosi such as Ana Chumachenko, Anne Sophie Mutter, Pinchas Zukerman, Mihaela Martin, Donald Weilerstein, Shmuel Ashkenasi, Paul Huang, Augustin Hadelich, Ida Kavafian, and Ani Kavafian. Masha’s passion for chamber music and orchestral playing has always been apparent, first fostered by Midwest Young Artists Conservatory under the guidance and baton of Dr. Allan Dennis. Throughout her formative years, Masha found a deep love for collaborative music making. Her past string quartets, Quartet Diamant and Quartet Bellezza, won two consecutive Gold Medals in the Junior Division at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, along with top prizes at the St. Paul String Quartet Chamber Music Competition, the WDAV Young Chamber
Musicians Competition, and the Discover Chamber Music Competition. Her most recent ensemble, Quartet Luminera, won the Silver Medal in the Senior Division at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, the Borromeo Guest Artist Award, and the Honors Ensemble distinction at the New England Conservatory. Masha’s love of chamber music has continued to flourish, collaborating with young artists and seasoned professionals. Such young artists and peers with whom she has collaborated include Kevin Zhu, Maria Ioudenitch, Maxim Lando, Janice Carissa, Nathan Meltzer, Sterling Elliott, Zhu Wang, Joshua Brown, Julian Rhee, and the Balourdet Quartet. She has also had the privilege of performing chamber music and other substantial repertoire with some of her greatest role models such as Miriam Fried, Itzhak Perlman, Vadim Gluzman, Ilya Kaler, Michael Kannen,
and the Borromeo and Ariel Quartets.

Apart from studying and performing during the concert season, Masha looks forward to spending her summers working with incredible faculty and colleagues. Last summer, Masha participated in the Ravinia Steans Music Institute. Past summer festival appearances include the Perlman Music Program Chamber Music Workshop, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival. She has also been a recurring guest at the North Shore Chamber Music Festival since 2015, where she became the first recipient of the Arkady Fomin Scholarship.
Miss Lakisova is the proud recipient of a magnificent violin by Giovanni Francesco Pressenda, Turin, 1845 on loan from The Stradivari Society of Chicago thanks to the generosity of her patron, Edward Manzo.