Ayako Yonetani is a concert violinist and full professor of violin and viola at the University of Central Florida. Born in Kobe, Japan, she began her musical journey under the tutelage of the renowned Saburo Sumi and won the Japan National Competition at the age of nine. She later studied at The Juilliard School with Hyo Kang and Dorothy DeLay, eventually serving as Miss DeLay’s assistant at both Juilliard Pre-College and the Aspen Music Festival.

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Since relocating to the United States in 1982, Dr. Yonetani has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across the globe. Her appearances have included prestigious venues such as Tokyo’s Kioi Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, the Dome Umenia in the Slovak Republic, and Astana City Hall in Kazakhstan. She is also active as a competition juror, recording artist, and champion of contemporary compositions.

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Her discography includes five solo and eight ensemble albums. Her recording of the Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn violin concertos was selected as "CD of the Month" by WMFE 90.7 FM in 2004.

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In addition to performing, Dr. Yonetani translated Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician by Barbara L. Sand into Japanese, published by Ongaku no Tomo. She was elected an Honorary Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute in 2006 in recognition of her contributions to music and education.

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In 2018, she was appointed Director of the Pegasus String Quartet Graduate Program at UCF. In November 2024, she returned to Carnegie Hall to perform a Mozart concerto at Weill Recital Hall. Most recently, she and Dr. Sugaya were honored with the 2025 Steinmetz Arts and Wellness Innovation Award for their collaborative work.