My Bio
“Give people a reason to want to be a part of your journey".”
Korean-American violinist Michael Fisher is praised for his colorful, characterful performances and his collaborative and leadership qualities. Currently based in Boston, Michael is the appointed concertmaster of Benjamin Zander’s Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and will return to the New England Conservatory in pursuit of his Master of Music in Violin Performance.
An avid orchestral musician, Michael is widely recognized for his role as a concertmaster. His 2024-25 season included multiple performances with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (including concert tours throughout Europe and Mexico), Carnegie Hall’s NYO-USA All-Star Alumni Orchestra, the NEC Chamber Orchestra, an invitation to the Aspen Music Festival as a Center for Orchestral Leadership Fellow, and invitations to masterclasses for Rainer Honeck, Guy Braunstein, and Nathan Cole. In addition to his orchestral work, Michael has performed numerous solo recitals through Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, and was named Finalist of both the New York Classic Violin Competition (2024) and NFMC Young Artist Competition (2025).
In 2025, Michael received his Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance degree from the New England Conservatory with Soovin Kim. Michael will return to NEC in the fall for his graduate studies with Soovin Kim, Nathan Cole, Julianne Lee, and Jennifer Frautschi.
Michael is also very passionate about exploring music through teaching. Working with students aged 6 through 74, Michael has experience teaching total beginners, full-time working adults, and conservatory trained violinists and violists. He has also served as a Teaching Assistant for Stratis Minakakis’s Music Literacy and Musicianship courses at NEC. For more information on how to study with Michael, please see the lessons page here.
Michael’s musical journey began with his parents; both of whom are musicians - a pianist and percussionist. Having been surrounded by music from birth, Michael chose to take violin lessons by the age of 4, studying the Suzuki method with Patricia Thayer in Williamsport, PA. Michael was lucky to be introduced to James Lyon at age 10, with whom he studied for 6 years before attending NEC. His other mentors include Soovin Kim (present), Kathleen Winkler, Robert Lipsett, Mai Motobuchi, Benjamin Zander, Mark Churchill, and Dina Vainshtein. Michael has also performed in masterclasses for Noah Bendix-Balgley, Grigory Kalinovsky, and Justin Bruns.
Michael has received numerous recognitions and awards for his musicianship. Michael’s tenure with Benjamin Zander’s orchestra has included multiple performances of Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben on tour in South Africa (2023). In addition to being invited to NYO-USA’s All-Star Alumni Orchestra, Michael was accepted to the 2019 cohort of NYO-USA which toured Europe. Michael was the concertmaster of the PMEA All-State, Central Region, and District 8 Orchestras, and was invited to the NAfME National All-Honors Orchestra. At NEC, Michael has been concertmaster of the NEC Symphony and NEC Chamber Orchestra and is the recipient of the Tourjee Alumni Award.
In addition to his commitment to music, Michael is an avid endurance runner and weight lifter. He frequently enjoys playing basketball and other sports with his friends. He is a licensed real estate agent in the state of Massachusetts, and maintains an international community on social media sharing videos of his playing and highlights of his life. Michael’s latest project is bringing a new concert series to Boston - more on that later.
My Resume
Awards:
2025 New England Conservatory Tourjee Alumni Award
2025 National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition Finalist
2024 New York Classic Violin Competition Finalist
2024 Aspen Music Festival Center of Orchestral Leadership Fellow
2019 National Youth Orchestra of the United States
2020 MTNA State Senior String Performance Winner
2020 MTNA Eastern Division Senior String Performance Runner Up
2019 MTNA State Senior String Performance Winner
2018-2021 PMEA District 8 Concertmaster
2019 and 2021 PMEA Central Region Concertmaster – Williamsport, PA
2019 PMEA All State Concertmaster – Pittsburgh, PA
2019 NAfME All-National Orchestra – Orlando, FL
2020 West Shore Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition Winner
2019 Triolo Competition Winner – State College, PA
2018 Williamsport Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition Winner
2018 Bloomsburg Young Artist Senior Division Winner
2017 MTNA State Junior String Performance Winner
2017 MTNA Eastern Division Junior String Performance Runner up
2021 Williamsport Area High School Valedictorian
2020 Bishop’s Youth Award – Diocese of Scranton
2021 Williamsport Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Senior Nominee
2021 Williamsport Music Club Scholarship Winner
Relevant Employment:
Weddings, funerals, party receptions, national anthems, recordings
New England Conservatory Music Literacy and Musicianship Teacher’s Assistant (Stratis Minikakis)
2018-2019 - Williamsport Symphony Orchestra
Robert M. Sides Family Music Center String Shop
Volunteerism:
Through The Staff – Carnegie Hall, NYC – An NYO-based group offering free private lessons to students with financial needs
St. Boniface Contemporary Music Ensemble
Notable Performances:
June 2025 - Concertmaster of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, and Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 on tour in Mexico with Benjamin Zander
February 2025 - Performance in Rainer Honeck Masterclass
November 2024 - Concertmaster of NEC’s Chamber Orchestra
November 2024 - Performance in Guy Braunstein Masterclass
July 2024 - Associate Concertmaster of the Aspen Music Festival Chamber Orchestra
June 2024 - Concertmaster of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 and Schumann’s Cello Concerto in A minor with Zlatomir Fung on tour in Europe (Basel, Prague, Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin) under Benjamin Zander
March 2024 - NYO-USA All-Star Alumni Orchestra performance of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F with Daniil Trifonov and Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 with Yannick Nezet-Seguin at Carnegie Hall
November 2023 - Performance in Grigory Kalinovsky Masterclass
July 2023 - Self-Organized Fundraiser Recital
June 2023 - Concertmaster Solos of Ein Heldenleben on tour in South Africa (Pretoria, Cape Town, and Makhanda) with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra under Benjamin Zander
June 2023 - Associate Concertmaster of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 on tour in South Africa
February 2023 - Concertmaster of NEC’s Symphony Orchestra performance of Brahms Symphony No. 1
November 2022 - Performance in Noah Bendix-Balgley Masterclass
December 2022 - Performance in NEC’s Chamber Music Gala Concert in Jordan Hall
August 2019 - NYO-USA Performances at Seigi Ozawa Hall, Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Usher Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Concertgebouw, and Elbphilharmonie
August 2022 - National Anthem at Little League World Series US Championship Game
December 2018 - Soloist with Williamsport Symphony Orchestra
September 2018 – National Anthem at Williamsport Cross Cutters Baseball
May 2018 – WVIA Public Radio Performance
December, 2017 – Featured Performer on There’s Still My Joy CD FCD055764