Miranda Werner
Praised for her “elegant” and “exuberant” performances (The Strad), violist and violinist Miranda Werner is equally at home as a chamber musician, soloist, and interpreter of new music.
Miranda is a second-year M.M. candidate at the Yale School of Music, where she studies with Ettore Causa. She earned her first master’s degree from Yale as a student of Soovin Kim, and completed her undergraduate studies with Mark Kaplan at Indiana University, graduating with High Distinction and Music Honors. She has previously studied with Nicholas Cords, Mark Holloway, and Linda Case.
In October 2025, she was awarded the Walter Witte prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned piece at the Hindemith International Viola Competition, where she advanced to the semifinals and premiered Isabel Mundry’s “Composition for Viola.”
Miranda was also invited to the 2025 Tokyo International Viola Competition, where she advanced to the quarterfinal round. She was a finalist in both the 2020 and 2021 Violin Competitions at Indiana University, playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto and Paganini’s Concerto No. 2. She was also honored to be named runner-up at the 2022 Indiana University Viola Competition.
A passionate chamber musician, Miranda has premiered works by Joel Thompson and Juhi Bansal, and collaborated with luminaries such as the Miró Quartet, Frank Morelli, Boris Berman, Melvin Chen, Colin Carr, Jesse Mills, Clancy Newman, Catherine Cho, and Midori. Her chamber group, Trio Ivy, recently won the Yale Chamber Music Society Competition, and subsequently performed on the Yale in New York concert series at Carnegie Hall. Her former ensemble, the Uni Quintet, won second prize at the 2023 Coltman Chamber Music Competition in Austin, TX.
Miranda has attended preeminent festivals as a violinist and violist, including the Ravinia Steans Institue, Norfolk, Taos, Four Seasons, the Heifetz Ashkenasi/Kirschbaum Seminar, the Maine Chamber Music Seminar, and the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival.
As an orchestral musician, Miranda has earned numerous principal positions, including Concertmaster of the Yale Philharmonia, Associate Principal viola at the 2022 New York String Orchestra, and Principal 2nd Violin of the Indiana University Philharmonic.
Committed to making the world of classical music a welcoming, healing, and inspirational environment for all, Miranda was a recipient of the 2024 Yale Alumni Association Prize, awarded to students “who have not only excelled in their respective fields but have also made important contributions to the general life of the school.” As a Teaching Artist for the Music in Schools Initiative, she helps foster musical growth for students in the New Haven public school system. She also performs for the nonprofit organization Project: Music Heals Us.
When not practicing, Miranda can be found taking walks in nature and playing with her cat.