Zoe Oda started playing the violin about 10 years ago in the Hawaii Youth Symphony’s (HYS') beginning-students class (with little musical knowledge), so she definitely knows the value of great teachers. She’s advanced to HYS' top orchestra -- performing concerts, touring the Hawaiian islands, and playing alongside the professional Hawaii Symphony Orchestra.  

Along the way, she picked up the flute, cello and piano. In high school, she was flute section leader in the Concert Band, as well as cello section leader for three years in her school’s Symphonic Orchestra. During this time, she's helped teach violin and cello strings students in HYS.

Zoe also participated yearly in the Pacific Music Institute, was the principal cello for Hawaii's All-State String Orchestra, a member of the University of Hawaii's Orchestra, and a scholarship participant in the 2020 Hawaii Chamber Music Festival. Currently, Zoe is a student at California State University at Long Beach, attending the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music; she's majoring in Music Performance (violin) and hopes to also double major in Music Education. As a teacher, she wants to inspire students by making music fun and enjoyable -- so that they're learning without even realizing it!