The Orchestra Musicians

Concertmaster

Please join the Littleton Symphony Orchestra in welcoming our new concertmaster, Luyan Gao.

Dr. Luyan Gao is a dedicated violinist and educator with a passion for both performance and teaching. Originally from China, she earned her Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was awarded a graduate assistantship as a member of the graduate string quartet, studying under the guidance of the Pacifica Quartet. She also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Her primary violin teachers include Shisheng Zheng, Zhao Wei, Sherban Lupu, and Simin Ganatra. 

Dr. Gao began her studies in the United States after being awarded the Concertmaster Fellowship from the University of Wyoming, where she completed a Performance Certificate. Over the years, she has participated in numerous competitions, earning recognition such as first prize in the Paul Rolland Memorial Competition and the T. Gordon Parks Collegiate Concerto Competition. One of her memorable solo performances was with the Arapahoe Philharmonic Orchestra, where she performed the Sibelius Violin Concerto.

As an orchestral musician, Dr. Gao currently serves as Concertmaster of the Littleton Symphony Orchestra in Colorado. She has also performed in the 1st violin sections of ensembles such as the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, and Peoria Symphony Orchestra and has served as Assistant Concertmaster for the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she has had the privilege of working with renowned chamber ensembles such as the Emerson Quartet and the Guarneri Quartet, and her performances have been featured on Illinois Public Media’s classical broadcast, WILL-FM 90.9. 

She feels honored to join the Littleton Symphony Orchestra and looks forward to learning and growing alongside its talented musicians.