Founder Duane Padilla’s formative years combined rigorous training with an early interest in sound technology. After earning a Bachelor of Music in violin performance and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology through Northwestern University’s double‑degree program, he went on to complete a Master of Music in violin performance at the Yale University School of Music. His teachers included members of the Tokyo String Quartet, conductor Shinick Hahm, violinists Syoko Aki, Gerardo Ribeiro and Idell Low and he also studied audio engineering with Gene Kimball. This blend of performing and technical skills helped Padilla achieve early recognition, such as being named to the Connecticut Commission on the Arts’ Performing Artists Roster in 1999 and reaching the semi‑finals and finals of national chamber music competitions. These achievements laid the groundwork for a career that would fuse virtuosity with an engineer’s sensitivity to sound.

As a performer, Padilla has built an eclectic résumé that ranges from chamber music to swing and jazz. He is a founding member of the Mana Music Quartet and Hot Club of Hulaville and performs as a violinist with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. In addition to concertizing, he works as an audio/video engineer for clients such as the Hawaii Youth Symphony, University of Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra and the Honolulu Symphony, and he has arranged orchestral scores for Grammy‑winning artists like Kalani Pʻea. His recordings have been recognized by the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts with a Na Hoku Hano Hano Award for Jazz Album of the Year (2011) and the award for Best Instrumental Album (2021). Combining his deep knowledge of violin and viola technique with his engineering expertise allows him to craft classical recordings that capture nuance and clarity.

Padilla is equally dedicated to education; he is a nationally recognized leader in the Eclectic Styles movement and serves on the National Board of Directors of the American String Teachers Association. At Punahou Music School he provides private violin and viola instruction using pedagogical approaches from Suzuki, Rolland and the Berklee College of Music. He helps students explore their own artistic voices by creating audio recordings and videos of their favorite and original songs and teaches them to use industry‑standard software like Cubase, Ableton Live and DaVinci Resolve. Through programs such as “Let’s Jam! Improv for Strings,” he fosters improvisation and genre‑blending. This combination of mentoring and hands‑on production work enriches his own artistry. By constantly teaching and recording, he sharpens the interpretive insight and technical precision that make his classical recordings stand out.