Uzbekistan, Aug. 27 -- Laziza Azimova was born and raised in the United States to Uzbek parents. Her high school years took an unexpected turn when her family moved to Tashkent for work. She later had the chance to return to New York, with offers from Stuyvesant High School and the Special Music School. Instead, she chose to stay and finish high school at the Presidential School in Tashkent.

Music has been part of Laziza's life since she was little. She studied violin in precollege programs at IU's Jacobs School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Manhattan School of Music. She has won several international string competitions and made her Carnegie Hall debut at eleven, becoming the youngest Uzbek violinist to perform there.

L...