Photos by Artem Kolesov
Alisa Ikeza Luera is an active violinist, violist, and music instructor based in Los Angeles. Ms. Alisa has performed widely in Austria, Czech-Republic, Hungary, Italy, and across the United States as a chamber and orchestral musician. As a former member of JCM’s Artist Program, her quartet has been called “a fierce, plush, ensemble sound that would be the envy of many a mature professional groups” by the New York Concert Review Inc. and was selected to perform in masterclasses at Longy’s School of Music, New England Conservatory, Juilliard School of Music, and performed in the Carnegie Weill Recital Hall.
Seattle born, Ms. Alisa moved to Los Angeles with her mother, a piano teacher, who applied her knowledge and practicing methods to Alisa’s young interest in music. This began by teaching her piano and violin, accompanying her in performances, volunteering in their community’s music space together, and Ms. Alisa later assisted in her mother’s piano studio throughout the years. A deep passion as a collaborative form has driven Alisa to take work with composers such as Russell Steinburg of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra, and commissioned works by fellow students and colleagues.
Ms. Alisa holds a Bachelor Degree in Performance & Music Orchestral String Studies at the California State University, Northridge under Dr. Lorenz Gamma. She was in the CSUN Scholarship Quartet and took masterclasses with Arnaud Sussmann of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Bin Huang of China Conservatory, Yuan Sheng of Beijing Central Conservatory of Music, Ben Hong of USC and LA Philharmonic, and the Calder Quartet. While attending CSUN’s Department of Music, she was co-concertmaster in the CSUN Symphony Orchestra and was selected to perform chamber music with Dr. Lorenz Gamma, Dr. Julia Heinen, Dr. Robert Berg, Ben Hong, and Jonathan Moerschel of the Calder Quartet.
Ms. Alisa recently received her Master’s Degree at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, studying under Movses Pogossian and Varty Manouelian, with a focus on new music and orchestral studies. Alongside her teaching at several schools and orchestras across Los Angeles, she is an active freelance musician, performing with ensembles such as the Debut Orchestra, American Youth Symphony, California Youth American Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Los Angeles, and the Golden State Pops Orchestra. Her collaborations extend to working with Disney XD, Shari Sutcliffe, the Foo Fighters, Tony Visconti, La Marisoul, and Grammy-winning composer Cheche Alara.
My Mission As A Musician
We often hear that “music is for everybody” but how can we make that happen? If creating a welcoming, inclusive space that appeals to a broad group of people is the goal, decision-makers and musicians in the classical world need to make it their mission to create progress by including BIPOC, Female, and LGBTQ+ composers and musicians. We are not “fun projects” or a “maybe”, but a necessity.