Lisa Saito, a 13-year-old student at JLS Middle School in Palo Alto, began her musical education in Japan, starting violin lessons at age 3 and piano at age 4. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2018, she continued her violin studies under Robin Sharp.
At age 10, Lisa made her orchestral debut with the Stanford Summer Symphony at Bing Concert Hall. She won the 2022 and 2023 Golden State Youth Orchestra (GSYO) Concerto Competitions, performing with the GSYO Senior Symphony in 2022.
Lisa joined the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra at age 11 as the youngest member and now serves as a first violinist. She was also the youngest member of the GSYO Senior Symphony, where she participated in the GSYO 60th Anniversary Concert as assistant concertmaster and joined their 2022 European Tour.
Lisa has won several violin awards, including the KAMSA (Korean-American Music Supporters’ Association) Competition, Pacific Musical Society & Foundation Competition, Music International Grand Prix, and the USOMC (United States Open Music Competition) Instrumental Ensemble category. In 2024, she was a finalist in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition. Lisa was also selected to perform at the Junior Bach Festival for six consecutive years and, in 2025, was chosen for the Honors Concert, which consisted of the highest scoring festival participants.
Lisa has attended numerous music programs including Music@Menlo for the third consecutive year, the Heifetz Institute of Music, Tateuchi Institute of Music, and Santa Clara Chamber Music & Young Musicians Academy.
