Kana Miyamoto Bio

Short bio
Kana Miyamoto is a New York–based flutist, composer, and educator from Chiba, Japan. She is known for her lyrical tone and a style that blends jazz, classical, and Japanese folk traditions. Her music often explores storytelling through improvisation and nature-inspired projects.

Kana is the 1st prize winner of the National Flute Association’s Jazz Artist Competition (2024) and the NFA Jazz Masterclass Competition (2022). She has received major support including Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists” grant and the Queens Arts Fund New Work Grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts.

Since moving to New York to study at The New School, Kana has performed at leading venues such as The Jazz Gallery, 55 Bar, The Jazz Loft, ShapeShifter Lab, and Nublu. She has collaborated with international artists including Frank LoCrasto, Lew Tabackin, Ron McClure, Franco Pinna, Arta Jekabsone, Sammy Weissberg, Mellisa Almaguer, June McDoom, Moto Fukushima, and the Tad Wind Symphony in Japan.

Her band Kanacept released its debut album Spring Doze in 2017, earning recognition from The Walkers and WNYC-FM, followed by a six-city tour in Japan. Later projects include the mini-album Dancer in the Galaxy (2020) and In the Forest ~ flute and kora field recording project~ (2021).

Kana has also appeared at events such as the Residence of the Ambassador of Japan in New York, The Moth Gala, and the Swing into Spring Jazz Festival. Kana also holds a degree from Tokyo College of Music.

Kana teaches flute at the New York Jazz Workshop and Hug Music School, is a Meyers Pick-Up Artist, and a Recording Academy member.

Long Bio
Kana Miyamoto first picked up the flute in her junior high school music band and quickly became deeply passionate about the instrument. She began her musical journey at age 15, when she was selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists” , a prestigious national grant supporting young Japanese artists abroad. Through this program, she studied in the flute studio at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and later transferred to the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.

After graduating, she returned to Japan to attend Tokyo College of Music, where she studied under respected flutists Yoshio Saito, Sayaka Kaneno, and Kazuhiro Iwasa, and also began exploring jazz music. During this time, she performed regularly as a soloist and recording flutist, appearing in orchestral, chamber, jazz ensemble, and big band settings. She collaborated with various artists and was a member of the Tad Wind Symphony Orchestra from 2012 to 2015.

Kana relocated to New York City to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music on a Dean’s Scholarship. She studied with Steve Cardenas, Billy Harper, Vic Juris, Armen Donelian, Jamie Baum, and Marco Mommaas. Kana released her debut album Spring Doze with her band Kanacept in 2017. The album was featured in The Walkers, a Japanese jazz magazine and broadcast on WNYC-FM, followed by a successful six-city tour in Japan. She went on to release Dancer in the Galaxy in 2020, and In the Forest – flute and kora field recording project in 2021, recorded with kora player Yasuhiro Sakairi in a forest in Japan.

She has been performing at renowned venues including The Jazz Gallery, 55 Bar, ShapeShifter Lab, Nublu, and Barbes. Her collaborations include artists such as Frank LoCrasto, Moto Fukushima, Lew Tabackin, Ron McClure, Richie Barshay, Franco Pinna, Arta Jekabsone, Sammy Weissberg, Mellisa Almaguer, June McDoom.

As a leader and soloist, Kana has performed at Residence of the Ambassador of Japan in New York, The Moth Gala at Spring Studio, and the Swing into Spring Jazz Festival at The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook. As a member of the curatorial team, Kana contributed to a collaborative project that received the Good Practice Award from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2021. The project, Re: Open Jam at Japan Village, supports Japanese musicians affected by the pandemic.

In 2022, she was a winner of the NFA Jazz Masterclass Competition, and in 2024, she won 1st place in the National Flute Association (NFA) Jazz Artist Competition. Kana currently teaches flute at the New York Jazz Workshop, Hg music School and is a Myers Pick-Up Artist and a Recording Academy Member.

Flute;JohannesHammig/Muramatsu flute/ Alto flute: Sankyo

Pick up: Myers Pickup the feather