Long before Joel Link became one of the most renowned violinists of his generation, he made it clear that he was interested in music. How? By standing up at his sister’s recital and announcing that it was his turn to play. He was only three years old at the time. “My parents weren’t professional musicians…

Now praised for her “deeply communicative and engrossing” performances (The New York Times), Ayano Ninomiya jokes that she started playing the violin because of peer pressure. “My public elementary school in Massachusetts offered string lessons starting in first grade, and I wanted to sign up because my friends were signing up,” she says. “Becoming a…