Sphinx Virtuosi | Meet Us | Sophia Ayer

Sophia Ayer

Sophia Ayer is a violinist pursuing her Master of Music degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studies with David Chan. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Colburn School in Los Angeles as a student of Robert Lipsett, and previously studied with Pasha Sabouri and Sandy Yamamoto.

In 2026, Sophia was named the 2nd prize laureate in the Sphinx Competition, and has since joined the Sphinx Virtuosi on tour. around the country. She has received additional honors from the Wilcox Competition, Starlight Orchestra Concerto Competition, and Juanita Miller Competition. As a soloist, she has performed with the Sphinx Symphony and Starlight
Symphony Orchestra. She has performed as concertmaster for the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra as well as the Shepherd Symphony Orchestra, and has performed alongside artists such as David Chan, Cho-Liang Lin, Andy Akiho, and Jonathan Brown.

Sophie is recipient of the Sphinx Organization’s MPower Artist Grant, as well as the Arkady Fomin Scholarship Award. She has performed in masterclasses for artists such as Miriam Fried, Ida Kavafian, Vadim Gluzman, Ilya Gringolts, Arnaud Sussmann, and the Emerson String Quartet. Sophia has attended summer festivals including the Pacific Music Festival, Academia Musicale Chigiana, Verao Classico, Festival Academy Budapest, the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Meadowmount School of Music. She plays on violin Opus 821, made by Douglas Cox, violin maker in Brattleboro, Vermont on generous loan from the Virtu Foundation.