Mari Nihira Jones started singing at a very early age and began studying violin at the age of two in Bellevue, WA with Mihoko Hirata. After moving to Los Angeles, CA, she continued her violin studies with Margaret Shimizu, Richard Schwabe, and Henri Gronnier at The Colburn School for Performing Arts where she also studied voice, piano, chamber music and played in the youth orchestras. She also played in the American Youth Symphony and played in the YMF chamber music program.

She went on to study at The Cleveland Institute of Music with William Preucil and received a Bachelor of Music. While at CIM, she also took Suzuki Pedagogy with Kimberly Meier-Sims and studied chamber music with members of The Cavani String Quartet and Peter Salaff. During this time, she was actively involved with a Japanese pop unit as a vocalist where she recorded and performed internationally.

In 2011, she attended Castleton Music Festival in Virginia where she met her husband. Mari was previously a member of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra before moving to Buffalo, NY where she currently resides. She performs regularly with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and maintains a private teaching studio. She is a core member of The Graycliff String Quartet.

In her free time, Mari enjoys event planning, drawing, graphic design, and volunteering at her daughters’ school. She also loves photography, cooking, and cats.