Mahler: Symphony no. 1, original 1889 version Asuka Kakitani: The Shifting Sky Gustav Mahler just wanted to be loved, and he knew his first big work in 1889 was going to bring adoration. It didn’t. Critics called it so much noise. Audiences shunned him. So the neurotic Mahler revised it...

A Brilliant Modern Jazz Orchestra Inatnas Orchestra returns to the Twin Cities after a two-year hiatus! Featuring the music of composers Asuka Kakitani and JC Sanford, the ensemble presents many of the top musicians in the area and will host special guests Mark Urness on bass and Russ Johnson on...

The Northfield Chamber Ensemble is returning! Featuring outstanding local musicians Gwen Anderson, Scott Anderson, Elaine Boda, Dave Hagedorn, Laurie Melting Stegner, and JC Sanford, the ensemble will perform music by Asuka Kakitani inspired by their hometown of Northfield. The event is open to the public, with free admission for all....

10th Wave is back with another "At Dusk" outdoor concert, this time featuring an all-Minnesota composers program and a grill out! Welcome to At Dusk 2026: Join 10th Wave for our annual outdoor program taking place in on Saturday August 22, 2026 at 7:00 PM at 400 Penn Ave N, Minneapolis MN 55405 for...

The Northfield Chamber Ensemble presents its very first concert—an exciting debut celebrating new music and local inspiration. Featuring an original, evening-length work by composer Kakitani, this premiere is inspired by the spirit, landscape, and community of Northfield. Open to the public with free admission, this unique performance invites everyone to...

The Garden is a collection of compositions for solo bass by Asuka Kakitani, inspired by the quiet resilience and vitality of plant life. Drawing on themes of growth, strength, and interconnectedness found in the natural world, the music unfolds as a meditative journey through sound. Performed by Wisconsin-based bassist Mark...

Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is Chicago’s GRAMMY® Award-winning percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective that made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre. Representing “one of the most enterprising and creative ensembles working today” (WFMT), the artists of Third Coast Percussion are...

Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is Chicago’s GRAMMY® Award-winning percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective that made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre. Representing “one of the most enterprising and creative ensembles working today” (WFMT), the artists of Third Coast Percussion are...

A program rooted in the landscapes of Minnesota, featuring: • The Blue in the Distance by Scott L. Miller • Twelve Months in Minnesota by Asuka Kakitani • North (excerpt) by Mary Ellen Childs Special performance at St. Cloud State University Planetarium for an immersive visual and sonic journey.

A Brilliant Modern Jazz Orchestra Inatnas Orchestra returns to the Twin Cities after a two-year hiatus! Featuring the music of composers Asuka Kakitani and JC Sanford, the ensemble presents many of the top musicians in the area and will host special guests Mark Urness on bass and Russ Johnson on...

SOLI Chamber ensemble opens its 32nd season with the third and final Showcase of its 30x30x30 Project. Once again, SOLI invites the community to come together with the composers, performers, and other music lovers in an innovative and intimate setting. This special event highlights seven of the 30 remarkable chamber...

I’m thrilled to announce an upcoming bass solo recording collaboration with the amazing bassist Mark Urness. This album, inspired by the garden and its ecosystem, explores the intricate balance of nature through sound, where stillness meets motion, and simplicity holds profound depth. Each piece is a sonic reflection of the...

Album Preview Concert: Music by Asuka Kakitani – Pianist Shannon Wettstein Join us for a captivating evening as pianist Shannon Wettstein and composer Asuka Kakitani share their latest musical journey in The Nights—a preview concert of deeply personal solo piano works. Renowned for her vivid musical storytelling inspired by nature, Kakitani...

I am honored and thrilled to be one of the 2025 BIPOC Creator Scholarship recipients! As part of this incredible opportunity, I will compose music for a short film by the talented Kazua Melissa Vang.

I am honored and thrilled to be one of the 2025 BIPOC Creator Scholarship recipients! As part of this incredible opportunity, I will compose music for a short film by the talented Kazua Melissa Vang.

I’m thrilled to announce an upcoming piano solo recording collaboration with the extraordinary pianist Shannon Wettstein. This album, inspired by the multifaceted emotions and imagery of nights, will explore the quiet mysteries, fleeting dreams, and profound reflections that nighttime evokes. Shannon’s artistry and sensitivity bring a unique depth to each...

I am thrilled to announce the premiere of my new string quartet piece, Owls and Trees, which will be performed by the extraordinary Thalea String Quartet at Boulanger Initiative's WoCo Fest! This piece began its journey at the Concept Lab Workshop during the Chamber Music America Conference, where I challenged...

The Attacca Quartet workshops new works by composers Asuka Kakitani (bottom); Liza Sobel Crane (top, second from left); and Will Stackpole (top, far right) at the CMA National Conference. https://chambermusicamerica.org/articles/off-the-page/  

A special evening-length performance by the Inatnas Orchestra Asuka Kakitani and JC Sanford’s amazing Inatnas Orchestra is a 17-piece big band playing the duo’s original stunning compositions and arrangements will feature a who’s who of local Twin Cities Jazz musicians: Trumpets: Josh May, Tom Krochock, Elaine Burt, Jake Baldwin Trombones:...

Black Mayo – August 12, 2023 Unheard-of premieres ensemble leader Ford Fourqurean’s new work exploring the Gowanus Canal’s depths. Using a 360 camera and footage captured along the canal, Ford crafts a video based on the unique flora and fauna making the feral parts of the Gowanus home along the...

A new solo percussion recording, Twelve Months in Minnesota, featuring Eri Isomura, will be released on June 30th! Please come to the CD Release concert on Saturday, June 24th, at Studio Z to celebrate with us! I will have some physical CDs with me for the special price of $10...

Four New Works from Spitting Image Collective + Asuka Kakitani are to be premiered.

The Gustavus Jazz Jamboree is a pedagogically-focused and non-competitive jazz festival produced by Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. The one-day festival features performances/clinics by six high school jazz ensembles from throughout the Midwest. The award-winning Gustavus Jazz Ensemble will also perform during the afternoon. 2023 Schedule of Events...

Zeitgeist's Halloween Festival at Studio Z features three evenings of haunting sounds, bone-chilling new commissions, and spine-tingling storytelling centered on the theme of "Monsters Among Us." Performances will include the world premiere of new chamber works for Zeitgeist by DeVon Russell Gray, Isaac Mayhew, and Stephanie Henry; storytelling by Kristie...

Zeitgeist's Halloween Festival at Studio Z features three evenings of haunting sounds, bone-chilling new commissions, and spine-tingling storytelling centered on the theme of "Monsters Among Us." Performances will include the world premiere of new chamber works for Zeitgeist by DeVon Russell Gray, Isaac Mayhew, and Stephanie Henry; storytelling by Kristie...

Zeitgeist's Halloween Festival at Studio Z features three evenings of haunting sounds, bone-chilling new commissions, and spine-tingling storytelling centered on the theme of "Monsters Among Us." Performances will include the world premiere of new chamber works for Zeitgeist by DeVon Russell Gray, Isaac Mayhew, and Stephanie Henry; storytelling by Kristie...

Amazing percussionist Eri Isomura will perform my solo percussion suite Twelve Months in Minnesota. The Unfiltered Fridays series continues in August at Summit Brewing Company! Join us for another fun evening of instrumental music + Summit beer! Unfiltered Fridays takes place on the first Friday of each month in the...

Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Music (APIAHM) concert

Saturday, March 19th at Studio Z in St. Paul    7:00 pm Open/ 7:30 pm Start Purchase Tickets  COVID-19 Policies: Proof of vaccination or negative test within 72 hours and masks required inside venue. Maximum 25 capacity.  All-female vocal quartet, Quince Ensemble will be giving the world premieres of Minnesota...

Friday, March 18th at Kracum Hall at Carleton College  7:00 pm Open/ 7:30 pm Start Free All-female vocal quartet Quince Ensemble will be giving the world premieres of Minnesota based composer Asuka Kakitani’s “Songs of One’s Own,” which features women writers’ texts including Emily Dickinson, Virginia Wolfe, and Akiko Yosano,...

At his recital, great percussionist Dave Hagedorn will premiere my solo percussion suite, Twelve Months in Minnesota. When I moved to Northfield from Brooklyn, New York in 2016, I was fascinated by Minnesota’s vibrant nature. Summer is colorful and brilliant, and winter is very cold but beautiful. The night is...

Inatnas Orchestra will perform music of Asuka Kakitani and JC Sanford.

Japanese-born composer Asuka Kakitani's Jazz Orchestra will collaborate with the NY Togei Kyositsu pottery studio for a charity event for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The 18-piece Jazz Orchestra, AKJO, will play Asuka's original compositions and arrangements of Japanese children songs. In addition, Togei Kyositsu members'...