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 with Soovin Kim and Nathan Cole.

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 and Philharmonia, an invitation to the Aspen Music Festival as a Center for Orchestral Leadership Fellow, and invitations to masterclasses for Rainer Honeck, Guy Braunstein, Jennifer Frautschi, Nancy Zhou, and Chad Hoopes. 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).

Michael is also very passionate about exploring music through teaching. Working with students aged 6 through 74, Michael has experience teaching complete 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.

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), Nathan Cole, Guy Braunstein, Kathleen Winkler, Robert Lipsett, Mai Motobuchi, Benjamin Zander, Mark Churchill, and Dina Vainshtein. Michael has also performed in masterclasses for Jennifer Frautschi, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Chad Hoopes, Nancy Zhou, Rainer Honeck, Jessie Fellows, Grigory Kalinovsky, Simon James, 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, NEC Chamber Orchestra, and NEC Philharmonia 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.