Tamaki Kawakubo, born 川久保賜紀 on October 10, 1979 in Palos Verdes, California, is a Japanese-American violinist. She began her violin studies at age five in Los Angeles and later studied with Robert Lipsett at the Colburn School. Kawakubo continued her education at the Juilliard School under Dorothy DeLay and Masao Kawasaki before moving to Zürich to study with Zakhar Bron. In 1997, she received an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Her breakthrough came in 2002 when she won the Silver Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition. Kawakubo has since performed as a soloist with numerous leading orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She has also collaborated with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony.