Yoko Okayasu

Born in Tokyo, Yoko Okayasu began her professional training on violin under Yuri Vladimir Ovcharek at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia), and continued with Camilla Wicks at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (USA). As a violinist, she learned her Masters in Chamber Music under the direction of Mark Sokol and Ian Swenson, and studied viola with Jodi Levitz. She also holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture from the Tokyo University of Science and worked for the design firm Hisao Koyama Atelier in Tokyo. 

She has served as Principal Violist of the Filharmonica Arturo Toscanini (Parma, Italy), the Danish Radio Sinfonietta (Copenhagen, Denmark) and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra (Sydney) and has also worked as a member of the San Diego Symphony (California, USA). She was Principal Violist of the Queensland Symphony

Orchestra from 2010-2017 and currently holds the Associate Principal position with them. She has also appeared as Guest Principal with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Camerata, Queensland’s chamber orchestra. 

As a devoted chamber musician, she has appeared with the Satori Quartet (Colorado, USA), ADORNO Ensemble (San Francisco, USA), Sage Quartet at Sound of Lyons Festival (Colorado, USA), The Caro Quartet (Sydney), The Kurilpa Quartet (Brisbane), Lunaire Collective (Brisbane) and Ensemble Trivium (Brisbane). 

She plays a viola made by the Brisbane maker, Trevor Liversidge, in 2023.