Viola
Jesse Yukimura
Jesse has participated in numerous summer music programs, including Kneisel Hall, an intensive chamber music program in Blue Hill, Maine, and the National Repertory Orchestra, an intensive orchestral program in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jesse has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with world-class artists, including violists from major orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and members of the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets. While primarily an ensemble musician, Jesse has performed as a soloist with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble and the Lynn Philharmonia. He was instrumental in forming and organizing the New Music Ensemble at Lynn, and continues to support the works of modern composers. Outside of music, Jesse maintains many interests, from birdwatching to chess. Jesse finds inspiration in music’s ability to enrich both the heart and the mind. Through its incredible diversity, Classical music has the ability to reach everyone. Exploring both the inner workings of a piece of music as well as the music’s historical background is something Jesse loves. He greatly enjoys sharing what he has learned and is excited to be part of the Kansas City community.
Violist Jesse Keone Yukimura joined the Kansas City Symphony in 2018. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest in Edmonds, Washington, Jesse began taking lessons on piano at the age of six, and on viola at the age of nine. He joined the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras a year later, where he discovered the joys of playing ensemble music, and soon took an interest in chamber music, as well. Jesse received a Bachelor of Music degree in Viola Performance from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where he studied with Peter Slowik. However, Jesse has a wide range of interests, including a passion for science, and also attended Oberlin College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry. He then studied with Ralph Fielding at the Lynn Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Master of Music degree, as well as a Professional Performance Certificate. Before joining the Kansas City Symphony, Jesse was a viola fellow at the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, an orchestral academy founded by artistic director Michael Tilson Thomas.
Jesse has participated in numerous summer music programs, including Kneisel Hall, an intensive chamber music program in Blue Hill, Maine, and the National Repertory Orchestra, an intensive orchestral program in Breckenridge, Colorado. Jesse has been fortunate to have had the opportunity to study with world-class artists, including violists from major orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and members of the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets. While primarily an ensemble musician, Jesse has performed as a soloist with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble and the Lynn Philharmonia. He was instrumental in forming and organizing the New Music Ensemble at Lynn, and continues to support the works of modern composers. Outside of music, Jesse maintains many interests, from birdwatching to chess. Jesse finds inspiration in music’s ability to enrich both the heart and the mind. Through its incredible diversity, Classical music has the ability to reach everyone. Exploring both the inner workings of a piece of music as well as the music’s historical background is something Jesse loves. He greatly enjoys sharing what he has learned and is excited to be part of the Kansas City community.