Allison Tanaka (formerly Parks) is a graduate of Arizona State University, where she completed her Master of Music in Violin Performance. Prior to relocating to Phoenix, Allison completed her Bachelor of Music Education at The Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Her primary teachers include Dr. Jonathan Swartz (ASU) and Dr. Shannon Thomas (FSU).

Mrs. Tanaka is an active orchestral musician, currently holding the position of Section 2nd Violin with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. She also is a regular substitute violinist with the Phoenix Symphony, Arizona Opera, and the AZPhil. She has previously held the positions of Principal 2nd Violin with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, as well as Section 2nd Violin positions with the West Valley Symphony and Symphony of the Southwest. As a member of these organizations, Mrs. Tanaka has had the opportunity to work and perform with a number of world-class musicians, most recently including Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Hilary Hahn, Stefan Jackiw, and Johannes Moser.

As a chamber musician, Mrs. Tanaka has appeared in masterclasses led by Brooklyn Rider as a part of the Visiting Quartet Residency Program at ASU. While in Tallahassee, Allison founded the Resonantia Quartet--the first quartet-in-residence at the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee. In this role, the Resonantia Quartet developed a successful summer chamber music concert series. The mission of this concert series was to bring more diverse musical experiences to the Tallahassee community.

Some of Mrs. Tanaka's recent awards as a soloist include an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Eastern Music Festival Concerto Competition and the 2017 and 2018 Tallahassee Music Guild Scholarship. Allison attended FSU on a dual violin and voice scholarship.

The 2025-2026 school year will be Mrs. Tanaka's sixth year with PVUSD. She previously taught orchestra at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix.