After earning degrees from Northwestern University and Yale University, concert artist and educator Duane Padilla began his performance career as an orchestral musician, performing with the National Repertoire Orchestra, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, the New Haven Symphony, and  the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.  Also an active classical chamber music performer, his ensemble The Gemini Duo was a semi-finalist in the prestigious International Concert Artists Guild Competition in NYC, and earned outreach grants from Chamber Music America and the American Federation of Musicians and was a featured ensemble on the Connecticut Commission on the Arts Performing Artist Roster and the CMA Rural Residency Artist Roster. Duane's more recent artistic endeavors have turned towards jazz. As a founding member of The Hot Club of Hulaville, he won the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts's award for jazz album of the year for their gypsy jazz release "Django Would Go!". His subsequent solo jazz violin album "Sentimental Swing" was named one of the top 40 jazz releases of 2011 by the South African Jazz Educators Association.  Recent concert collaborations include duo performances with Pianist Tommy James (Music Director of the Duke Ellington Orchestra NYC), fingerstlye guitar legend Jeff Linsky,  Guitarist Paul Mehling (Hot Club of San Francisco), Grammy winning Hawaiian Slack Key Guitarist Jeff Peterson, and Jazz Ukulele Grand Master Ben Chong.  He has opened concerts for jazz giants Martin Taylor, John Jorgensen, and John Pizzarelli.

An equally accomplished educator, Duane studied Suzuki violin pedagogy with Betty Haig, Lisa Hershumgel, Stevie Svenden, Teri Einfeld, Alan Lieb as well as Rolland/Zweig Pedagogy with Stacia Spencer. He has studied conducting with Marvin Rabin, William Jones &  Shinick Hahm. He has studied jazz violin with Tim Kliphuis, Ben Powell, and Aaron Weinstein, Jason Anick and Christian Howes. Duane began his teaching career in CT where he was head of the Suzuki Program at the Tabor Community Arts Center and the Bethwood Suzuki School. While in Connecticut, he also designed and implemented a unique public school string program for grades 1-3 based on the Suzuki violin method for Wintergreen Magnet School.  He has served as President of the Hawaii Chapter of the American String Teachers Association and  has also served on the Board of Directors of the Suzuki Association of Hawaii and the Suzuki Talent Education of Hawaii. He currently is on faculty at the Punahou Music School and Chaminade University and is serving as Chairman of the American String Teachers Association Eclectic Styles Committee.