Cynthia Keiko Black

Born in Dallas, Texas, violinist and violist Cynthia Keiko Black grew up surrounded by music, playing piano at home with her mother and singing in church. While her musical interests span a wide range of styles, she is especially drawn to Renaissance and early Baroque repertoire. Cynthia is a member of Incantare, an ensemble of violins and sackbuts dedicated to bringing to life the lesser-known stories of our past through music. In addition to her performing career, she maintains a thriving teaching studio at the Crowden School and serves on the faculties of UC Berkeley and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she teaches Baroque violin and viola.

She earned her Doctorate in Historical Performance Practice from Case Western Reserve University, studying with Julie Andrijeski, and holds modern viola degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music. When she’s not performing or teaching, Cynthia enjoys cooking, watercolor painting, and tending to her vegetable garden at home in Richmond, California, where she lives with her trumpet-playing and harpsichord-building husband, Dominic Favia, and their young daughter Erika.