Mio Imai, age 14, studies violin with Kimberly Fisher, the principal second violin of The Philadelphia Orchestra. She is also coached by Grammy-nominated pianist, Mark Livshits. Mio made her first appearance as a soloist at age of 9. She has performed as a soloist and in recitals in the US, Italy, and Japan.

She won the first prize in the 2024 Arthur Grumiaux International Violin Competition (Belgium), 2024 Stulberg International String Competition (US), 2024 MTNA National Competition (US), and 2023 Piccolo Violino Magico International Competition (Italy). Mio is also a former major prize winner at the Leonid Kogan International Competition (Belgium; second prize), the Ronald Sachs International Music Competition (US; third prize), and the Chicago Violin International Competition (US; third prize). She played in Masterclasses for renowned violinists and string quartets, including James Ehnes, Ida Kavafian, Karen Aroutiounian, Takacs Quartet, Robert Chen, Juliette Kang, and Kim Chee-yun. She plays chamber and orchestral music in the Center for Gifted Young Musicians Program, Temple University.

Mio plays a Vincenzo Sannino violin and Francois Nicolas Voirin bow on loan from the Takeuchi Collection through the Nippon Violin Society program.

Besides music, Mio enjoys crafting, cooking and skiing.

Stulberg Gold Medalist Performance with the Kalamazoo Symphony is sponsored by the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra League.