About Isabella Kodama
Isabella Kodama is a cellist and cello instructor based in the Seattle area. She performs with various churches and other venues in the area for regular services and special occasions. Isabella graduated in 2019 from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Music in cello performance, where she studied with international performer and teaching artist, Sæunn Thorsteinsdottir. Music has always grounded Isabella. When she plays, she is able to express herself and connect with people on a level she otherwise could not. The first time she held a cello at age 10, there was no doubt in her mind that was the instrument for her. Now it's impossible for her to imagine her life without it now!
Isabella began playing the cello in the fifth grade and started taking private lessons with Angela Sokol the following year, which she continued until graduating from high school. From middle school through the end of high school, she played with the Cascade Youth Symphony Orchestra. In her second year, she toured Eastern Europe with the youth symphony. When she was in her junior year of high school, Isabella was a winner of the Cascade Youth Symphony Concerto Competition and performed the first movement of the Elgar Cello Concerto with the orchestra. In high school, she began to show interest in playing in chamber ensembles as well as in orchestras and performed with these smaller groups at various regional competitions.
While she attended the University of Washington, she performed with the University Symphony Orchestra as well as the campus baroque ensemble. In her junior year, her piano trio was a winner of the Scholarship Chamber Competition, and they represented the UW School of Music in performances throughout that year. Isabella has continued to pursue her own educational and professional growth with such programs as the Monteux Orchestra Festival and the Decoda Summer Chamber Music Institute.
In addition to her work and goals as a performer, Isabella is a committed cello instructor. She is a strong advocate of music education, as she believes wholeheartedly in the value of learning to tap into your unique musical and artistic voice. In her own experience and that of colleagues and friends, she has seen how learning to play music at any level can infinitely grow one's confidence and creativity. Her own mentors have played a large role in her desire to teach the cello; they have inspired her to foster a supportive and motivational environment for her own students. She aims to help each of her students reach their own personal and musical goals and to play with ease, technical security and joy. Isabella has experience teaching various skill levels, from beginners to more advanced students, and she is so excited to be teaching at Lessons in Your Home to connect with students wherever they are on their journey!
