Described by Itzhak Perlman as an “inspired musician bursting with talent,” Mariella Ochoa’s violinistic journey has brought her to over thirty countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. She has performed in venues such as the Wiener Musikverein in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York, and numerous philharmonic halls around the world. Her festival appearances include the prestigious Schubertiade in Austria, the Festival de Paques in France, and Live from Lincoln Center in New York. In 2014, Mariella performed at the United Nations General Assembly at the invitation of Barack and Michelle Obama, whom she met at this occasion. Her chamber music collaborators include artists such as Joshua Bell, Renaud Capucon, James Ehnes, Lang Lang, and Itzhak Perlman. Former concertmaster of the Juilliard Orchestra, Mariella has worked with many conductors including Alan Gilbert, Bernard Haitink, Kurt Masur, and Michael Tilson Thomas. She is also a former member of the Cavatina Quartet.

​Mariella has received numerous awards including the 1st prize at the Bavarian Lions Club Violin Competition, the Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant of The Juilliard School, the Gerd Bucerius-Stipendium of the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben, the Leonhard and Ida Wolf Memorial Prize of the City of Munich, the McGraw Foundation’s Robert Sherman Outreach and Education Award, the Tarisio Trust Young Artists Grant, the U.S. Department of State Federal Assistance Award as well as numerous 1st and special prizes at the German competition “Jugend Musiziert.” Glamour magazine named Mariella one of their Top 10 College Women of 2014. Mariella’s work has been featured on ABC News, ARD, ARTE, Bayern 4 Klassik, BBC Radio, CBS, Good Morning America, HBO, WQXR, and WDR. She has appeared in Vogue, Glamour, the Associated Press, the National Sawdust Log, The New York Times, and numerous newspapers and magazines around the world. Mariella served as ‘House Band’ on Cheddar, a news network broadcasting live from the New York Stock Exchange. Mariella appears in the French documentary film, "A Season at The Juilliard School,” which features her daily life as a college student living in New York. She is also featured in the HBO documentary, "Joshua Bell: YoungArts MasterClass.” Mariella appears in Warner Bros.’ new film, “Joker.”

​Mariella is a passionate music pedagogue. Besides her own private teaching studio, Mariella has taught as a Morse Teaching Artist through The Juilliard School and also at the Noel Pointer Foundation. Suzuki certified, she is currently on faculty for violin, viola, and piano at the Riverside School of Music in Cos Cob, Connecticut. In addition, she regularly subs for The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division and The Perlman Music Program.

​A firm believer in the impact and importance of the arts, Mariella is the co-founder of Concerts for Compassion, a non-profit organization designed to promote racial reconciliation between cultures. CFC has toured through over thirty countries, playing concerts in refugee camps, holding educational workshops for children, and playing benefit concerts for organizations supporting vulnerable communities around the world. CFC has partnered with Buffalo String Works, Church World Service, Jesuit Refugee Service, Support International, The Red Cross, and the United Nations Refugee Agency.

​​Mariella holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where she studied as a Kovner Fellow with Catherine Cho and Itzhak Perlman. She also studied psychology through the Barnard-Columbia-Juilliard Exchange Program. She is an alumna of The Perlman Music Program and the National YoungArts Foundation. She is also a delegate of the American Academy of Achievement. Mariella performs on a 1999 Samuel Zygmuntowicz violin.