Joy Yanai, cello

Canadian-Japanese cellist Joy Yanai joined the Naples Philharmonic in 2020. She began taking cello lessons at the age of five in Japan before attending Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA in 2006. She earned her Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Graduate Diploma from the New England Conservatory where her major teachers included Laurence Lesser, Paul Katz and Lluís Claret.

In 2011 she actively joined the Earthquake and Tsunami relief efforts for Japan both with solo recitals in the affected regions as well as performances in collaboration with such artists as Kim Kashkashian, Paul Biss, Laurence Lesser, and Masuko Ushioda. She participated in music festivals including Orford Music Academy, Banff Music Festival, Pacific Music Festival, Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Opera Project and Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy.

She is a prizewinner in the New England String Ensemble Concerto Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and New England Conservatory Concerto Competition. In her free time, Joy enjoys bird watching and sun bathing.