Allyson Cohen is a violinist, educator, and arts leader committed to expanding access to classical music through performance, teaching, and community engagement. A graduate of the University of Michigan, where she studied with Professor Danielle Belen, Allyson also holds a bachelor’s degree from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, where she was a Presidential Scholar.

She has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall and the Kimmel Center, and appeared as a substitute violinist with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Her orchestral work includes collaborations with conductors such as Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Stéphane Denève. Allyson currently holds a position in the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and previously served as a concertmaster of the Macon-Mercer Symphony.

Festival appearances include the National Repertory Orchestra, NYO-USA, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Manchester Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, and the Rome Chamber Music Festival, where she was a Young Artist in 2021. She has performed in masterclasses and lessons with artists including James Ehnes, Miriam Fried, Donald Weilerstein, Cho-Liang Lin, and Kathleen Winkler, and has collaborated with musicians such as Lisa Batiashvili, Clive Greensmith, David Kim, Robert McDuffie, Victoria Chiang, and members of the Borromeo, Emerson, Ehnes, and Tokyo String Quartets. She has also performed alongside members of R.E.M., The Rolling Stones, and the Allman Brothers, and has been featured on From the Top (NPR), PBS, and SiriusXM.

With her string quartet, the Mia Quartet, Allyson has earned national recognition as a finalist at the Coltman Chamber Music Competition, Audience Choice Award winner at the St. Paul String Quartet Competition, and third prize winner at the Briggs Chamber Music Competition. The quartet was also awarded a fellowship at the Encore Chamber Music Festival and has worked closely with members of the Cavani, Calidore, Pacifica, Telegraph, and Verona Quartets.

Allyson is the founder and director of Unison Chamber Music Collective, a nonprofit organization that presents chamber music in shelters, prisons, and other community settings throughout Southeastern Michigan. She also maintains a thriving private teaching studio, where she works with students of all ages and levels, fostering technical growth, musical expression, and a lifelong love for music.