Miya Masaoka

Miya Masaoka
Masaoka (c. 2003)
Born1958 (age 65–66)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
EducationSan Francisco State University, Mills College
Known forSound art, musical composition
Masaoka performing in 2016

Miya Masaoka (born 1958, Washington, D.C.)[1] is an American composer, musician, and sound artist active in the field of contemporary classical music and experimental music. Her work encompasses contemporary classical composition, improvisation, electroacoustic music, inter-disciplinary sound art, sound installation, traditional Japanese instruments, and performance art.[2] She is based in New York City.

Masaoka often performs on a 21-string Japanese koto (musical instrument), which she extends with software processing, string preparations, and bowing.[3] She has created performance works and installations incorporating plants, live insects, and sensor technology.[4] Her full-length ballet was performed at the Venice Biennale 2004.[5] She has been awarded the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship (2021), the Doris Duke Award (2013) and the Herb Alpert Award (2004), and a Fulbright Fellowship for advanced research for Noh, gagaku and the ichi gen kin. She is an associate professor in the MFA Visual Arts Department at Columbia University, and the director of the MFA Sound Art Program.[6][7]

  1. ^ Garrett, Charles Hiroshi. The Grove Dictionary of American Music, "Miya Masaoka", Oxford University Press, 2013
  2. ^ Gómez-Peña, Guillermo. Dangerous Border Crossers, Routledge 2000
  3. ^ Kozinn, Allan. "Connecting the Ancient to the Computerized", The New York Times, September 10, 2005
  4. ^ Oteri, Frank J. “Miya Masaoka: Social and Sonic Relationships”, NewMusicBox (a publication of New Music USA) June 1, 2014
  5. ^ Jepson, Barbara. “Ancient Eastern Music Meets Modern Technology,” The Wall Street Journal, Updated Sept. 15, 2015
  6. ^ "Miya Masaoka". Arts.columbia.edu.
  7. ^ "US Scholar Awards - Fellowships Abroad for Scholars & Professionals | Fulbright Scholars". Cies.org. Retrieved 30 March 2023.