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Nikki Routman Ebisu, violin
Violinist Dr. Nikki (Routman) Ebisu enjoys a distinguished career as a teacher, performer and clinician. Her collaborative chamber music and orchestral performances have taken her all across the globe, from Europe, the USA and Asia. Dr. Nikki Ebisu was recently awarded the Hawaii Music Teachers Association's "2022 Music Teacher of the Year" for her contributions and service to the music community.
As an active music educator, she is in large demand in Hawaii -- both as a Japanese bilingual violin instructor and also as one of the few remaining to have studied directly with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, the founder of the Suzuki Method. As the owner of the Violin Artistry Studio, Dr. Ebisu specializes in violin education for students ages 3 through adult, from beginner through advanced levels. She also currently serves as a part-time Lecturer in violin at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Prior to moving to Hawaii and specializing in Suzuki Method education, Dr. Ebisu worked primarily with college-aged students, serving as a lead Graduate Assistant and Adjunct Instructor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and on faculty at Conservatory Music in the Mountains Summer Festival in Durango, Colorado. Her students have been prizewinners in competitions at the national and international level, and been accepted to prestigious music festivals and schools.
On the performance stage, Dr. Ebisu is currently a violinist with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and Maui Pops Orchestra. She also performed with the World Symphony Orchestra (Korea), as well as the Symphonies/Philharmonics of: Austin, Boulder, Charleston (SC), Cheyenne, Colorado Springs, Corpus Christi, Greeley, Fort Collins, Greeley, Honolulu and Temple. She participated in the International Music Festival in Portugal and Colorado Music Festival and was invited to perform at the 2005 Yehudi Menuhin Chamber Music Seminar in San Francisco as the "Emerging String Quartet" Winner.
Dr. Ebisu began her musical journey at the age two, observing the lessons of other Suzuki students, and practicing on a mini-fake violin made by a carpenter. Upon moving to Japan at age four, she officially began lessons with Dr. Shinichi Suzuki’s apprentices at the Suzuki Talent Education in Tokyo. Accepted into the Preparatory Division of the Toho Academy of Music in Tokyo at age eight, she was invited to study with violist Sumiko Edo. She later returned to the United States for high school and college.
Dr. Ebisu holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Pre-Medicine from the University of Texas at Austin. She received her Masters in Music and Doctorate in Music Arts (Violin Performance) degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her primary violin teachers include Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, Sumiko Edo, Lacy McLarry, John Arnold, Dr. Eugene Gratovich and Oswald Lehnert. Some of her greatest influences in Suzuki pedagogy are Liz Arbus, Jenny Burton, Helen Brunner, Pat D'Ercole, Ed Kreitman, Ellie LeRoux, Allen Lieb, Nancy Lokken, Ed Sprunger and David Strom.
Dr. Ebisu continues to perform recitals, attend conferences and present workshops regularly. She is the Past President (ex-Officio) of the Hawaii Music Teachers Association, the Hawai’i State Chapter affiliate of MTNA. During her term, HMTA was recognized as the 2022 MTNA National State Chapter Affiliate of the Year. She is also an active member of the Suzuki Association of Hawaii and the Hawaii chapter of ASTA.