Gold medalist and first-ever American laureate of the International Bach-Abel Competition (2018) Arnie Tanimoto has quickly established himself as one of the foremost viol players in the United States. He has performed and recorded in venues across North America and Europe with Barthold Kuijken, Enrico Gatti, and the Smithsonian Consort of Viols. Arnie is a core member of Mountainside Baroque and a founding member of the Academy of Sacred Drama. Alongside harpist, Parker Ramsay, he co-directs A Golden Wire.
Arnie was the first-ever viola da gamba major at the Juilliard School, where he soloed on both viola da gamba and baroque cello. In 2017 he was awarded with a Frank Huntington Beebe Fund Fellowship and subsequently finished his studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland. His principal teachers include Paolo Pandolfo, Sarah Cunningham, Christel Thielmann, and Catharina Meints. He holds additional degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music.
As a teacher Arnie serves on faculty at Princeton University, as well as maintaining a private studio. He also regularly teaches at the Mountainside Baroque Summer Academy and the Viola da Gamba Society Conclave.