Riana Anthony, born and raised in Yamagata, Japan, began studying the cello at the age of nine. Since moving to Honolulu, Hawai’i, she has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Riana made her Honolulu Symphony debut at the age of 12, and has since appeared as soloist with the Shanghai City Symphony and the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. She has performed in the Future Masters Concert Series at the Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai, and at Kennedy Center through the Conservatory Project. Riana is a recent recipient of The Jerome and Elaine Nerenberg Foundation Scholarships from the Musician’s Club of Women in Chicago, and the first prize winner of the 2017 Samuel and Elinor Thaviu String Performance Competition.

 An avid chamber musician, Riana has performed at the Rome Chamber Music Festival and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. She won first prize at the 2016 Dover Quartet Competition, and was a prizewinner at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. Riana has attended the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Liechtenstein Internationale Musikakademie, Schiermonnikoog Festival, Cello Akademie Rutesheim Masterclasses, Mortitzburg Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, Gstaad String Academy at the Menuhin Festival, PyeongChang Music Festival, and Summer Campus at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.

 Riana received her undergraduate degree from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, studying under cellists Julie Albers and Hans Jørgen Jensen. She completed her graduate studies under the tutelage of Hans Jørgen Jensen at Northwestern University, and since September 2017, is an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel under the guidance of Gary Hoffman. She plays a fine 18th century cello by William Forster.