Celebrated for her musical vitality and sensitivity, violinist Coco Mi values human connection and collaboration through music. She has won awards including first prize at the 2023 Juilliard Concerto Competition, Inaugural Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition, Bravura Philharmonic Concerto Competition, and second prize at the 2024 Koussevitzky Young Artist Awards.
Upcoming and recent performance highlights include a debut performance at the Kennedy Center of David Ludwig’s “Seasons Lost” as part of Juilliard’s 2x4 collaboration with Jaime Laredo and Jennifer Koh, a debut performance in Alice Tully Hall as a violinist of the Edith String Quartet, performances as a festival artist at the 2024 Olympic Music Festival, and residencies at Molly Carr’s nonprofit Project: Music Heals Us.
At the core of Coco’s musical life is chamber music. Passionate about collaboration, they have been invited to participate in music festivals such as Kneisel Hall, the Olympic Music Festival, the Perlman Music Program, and Yellow Barn, and have had the privilege to learn and collaborate with esteemed artists such as Misha Amory, Ronald Copes, Joel Krosnick, Merry Peckham, Itzhak Perlman, Laurie Smukler, and Areta Zhulla. They were part of the Honors Chamber Music Program at Juilliard as a member of the Edith String Quartet and collaborated with Molly Carr’s Project: Music Heals Us in their “Music for the Future” program. Enthusiastic about the accessibility of music and its power to connect people, the quartet performed and worked closely with inmates of the Santa Rosa County Jail and Jericho Project in a composition course based on Beethoven’s String Quartets. Coco aims to continue this important work and to share music with those lacking access to it, through performing and collaborating with nonprofits.
Coco’s orchestral experience has taken her to the stage of David Geffen Hall as a substitute with the New York Philharmonic, and Alice Tully Hall as a member of the Juilliard Orchestra where she has served as concertmaster and principal second. She has also participated in orchestras part of the Aspen Music Festival and Music Academy of the West, collaborating with renowned conductors such as Marin Alsop, Gustavo Dudamel, and Daniel Harding.
Coco grew up in Princeton, NJ, and started violin at the age of five. She continued her studies at the Manhattan School of Music Pre College under the tutelage of Elizabeth Faidley. Coco received a Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School with Li Lin and Master of Music degree at Juilliard with Mr. Lin and Laurie Smukler. She was a proud recipient of the Kovner Fellowship. Mi is continuing her studies at Juilliard as part of the Artist Diploma Program under the guidance of Ms. Smukler and Donald Weilerstein. Coco performs on a violin by Carlo Bergonzi I c. 1723 on generous loan from the Juilliard School. Outside of violin, Coco enjoys spending time with loved ones, eating and cooking delicious food, playing spikeball, and spending time with their cat Oreo.
Photo by Titilayo Ayangade