Composer-IN-RESIDENCE
Feb 14-23, 2024
Midori Larson
Midori Larsen is a New York City-based composer, taiko player, and pianist. Her music integrates elements of Western classical, jazz, and Japanese music. A classically trained pianist, Midori became a composer and taiko player while caring for a school-aged child. Within just two years, she received multiple grants for her original compositions including Queens Council on the Arts (2021), New Music USA (2022), and Flushing Town Hall (2022). She composes music based on the lived experiences of herself and other immigrant mothers and seeks to inspire her listeners–especially immigrant mothers and girls–to pursue their passion and lead their own lives.
Statement of intent during the residency
I write music inspired by encouraging life stories. During the residency, I will work on my chamber music project based on the interviews of Japanese immigrant mothers in Queens, NY featuring a various combinations of Japanese and Western musical instruments: alto saxophone, guitar, bass, piano, Japanese string instrument koto and Japanese taiko drums. I conducted a series of interviews of four women, whom I met specifically for this project in 2022, on a topic of motherhood, challenges, hopes, and dreams.