Marina Akamatsu is a Montréal-based Japanese American conductor with a drive to create thought-provoking and rich experiences for both musicians and audience members alike through innovative programming and leadership. She is currently pursuing her master’s in orchestral conducting with Mélanie Léonard at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music, generously funded by the Graduate Excellence Scholarship, while additionally studying with Matthew Sheppard. She previously studied with Dr. Alexander Jiménez at Florida State University while earning her bachelor’s in viola performance with Dr. Pamela Ryan and recently served as an Assistant Conductor to Maestro Arthur Arnold at the PRISMA Festival in Powell River, British Columbia.
Born and raised in the Chicago area, Marina began her musical studies with piano at a young age before pivoting to viola. Her involvement and passion within the symphonic setting as a violist soon spread to conducting. In 2021, Marina founded the Cawthon String Orchestra at Florida State University, which remains a flourishing ensemble today. Over her four-year tenure with the ensemble, she programmed a diverse swath of repertoire, created concerto opportunities for young soloists, and performed several world premieres. An avid enthusiast of new music and promoting young composers, she has conducted for the New Music Seminar and the Society of Composers Incorporated. As a violist, Marina was the violist of the Know Any Piano Quartet at Florida State University for several years and remains an avid violist to this day.
Most recently, she conducted a benefit concert as a fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders in Montreal, composed of young professionals. Marina is keen to cultivate similar environments where instrumentalists feel empowered through progressive programming and multi-genre collaborations. Marina currently conducts performances at McGill University and throughout the city of Montreal and plays her viola wherever it takes her.
Marina Akamatsu 