Ilana Setapen, Violin

Biography

Since her solo orchestral debut at age 15 with the Amarillo Symphony, Ilana Setapen has been flourishing as a violinist with a powerful and original voice. Concertmaster of both the Riverside Philharmonic and The Juilliard Orchestra, she has appeared as soloist with the Idaho Falls Symphony, the American Youth Symphony, the Pasadena Pops and the Amarillo Symphony, among others. A founding member of the Armstrong String Quartet and the Reuleaux Trio, Ms. Setapen has appeared at festivals in Brazil, France, Holland, and the U.S.

Ms. Setapen has won top prizes in the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the Pasadena Showcase Competition, and the Kingsville International Competition. She was the only American selected to participate in the 2007 Monte Carlo International Violinmasters Competition. She was the winner of the 2004 USC Concerto Competition and performed Prokofiev's Second Violin Concerto with the Thornton Chamber Orchestra, Ilana made her European debut in 2002, performing Mozart's Fifth Violin Concerto in Venice with her father, conductor James Setapen, accompanying.

Ms. Setapen completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Southern California, where she was the concertmaster of both the Thornton Symphony Orchestra and the Thornton Chamber Orchestra. She has also been concertmaster of the Colburn Orchestra and the American Youth Symphony, with whom she performed at Carnegie Hall. She has also attended the New York String Seminar and Holland Music Sessions. Ms. Setapen has been awarded a fellowship for the 2008 Aspen Music Festival.

Ms. Setapen grew up in Amarillo, Texas, where she performed as a member of the Amarillo Symphony. She studied with Robert Lipsett both at USC and at the Colburn Conservatory. She now attends The Juilliard School as a Masters student of Donald Weilerstein and Ronald Copes. Ms. Setapen performs on a 1799 Johannes Gagliano violin, on loan from the Mandell Collection of Southern California.