Internationally acclaimed as a violist as well as violinist, Ida Kavafian is an artist-member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and former violinist of the Beaux Arts Trio. She performs as a soloist; in recital with her sister, Ani; as a guest with ensembles such as the Guarneri, Orion, and American string quartets; and as artistic director of Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico. She is cofounder of the chamber ensembles Tashi and Opus One.

Ms. Kavafian has premiered numerous works, including concertos by Toru Takemitsu and Michael Daugherty. She has toured and recorded with jazz greats Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis, as well as fiddler/composer Mark O’Connor.

Born in Istanbul of Armenian parentage, Ms. Kavafian is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where she studied with Oscar Shumsky. She made her debut under Young Concert Artists with the pianist Peter Serkin, and also received the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. She resides with her husband, violist Steven Tenenbom, in Philadelphia and Connecticut, where they breed and train prizewinning Hungarian vizsla show dogs. Ms. Kavafian teaches at the Bard College Conservatory of Music, and joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music in 1998.