Sayumi Takahashi Harb, PhD
Dr. Sayumi Takahashi Harb began playing violin at a public school strings program at age 8. She was hired as a section first violinist of the Huntsville Symphony (AL) while still a high school student, and performed in concerts with Anne Akiko-Meyers, Kurt Nikkanen, Boris Berman, Pascal Rogé and Itzhak Perlman. Harb just earned her Graduate Professional Diploma in Violin Performance from the Hartt School in May 2022. Previously, Harb earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Creative Writing from Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude, and continued to earn her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Harb studied violin with Anton Miller, Dr. Stephan Tieszen, Dylana Jenson, and Gary Cappoziello. She also studied chamber music with Isidore Cohen of the Beaux Arts Trio and members of the Cassatt String Quartet, and is a first prize winner of the Hartt Chamber Music Competition. After working for over a decade as a literature professor, she has returned to playing music professionally. Harb is a member of the Worcester Symphony (MA), and is a substitute violinist for the Norwalk Symphony, the New Britain Symphony, and the Eastern Connecticut Symphony.