Acclaimed New York-based composer and instrumentalist Kaoru Watanabe’s melodic, authentic, and engaging music focuses on points of connection: the joints between Western jazz and Eastern traditional, Japanese theater and political action, the ancient and the all-too-contemporary. Born into a musical family, Watanabe began training at a young age, eventually studying jazz at the Manhattan School of Music, before devoting a decade overseas as the first American performer and artistic director of the world-renowned taiko drum performance group KODO. While in Japan, Watanabe worked with elite Japanese artists, such as National Living Treasures Bando Tamasaburo and Tosha Meisho, and calligrapher Kakinuma Koji, and studied, performed, and practiced traditional folk dance and song, tea-ceremony, Kyogen opera, and agriculture. These experiences profoundly influence Watanabe’s practice to this day. Since returning to New York, his signature skill of infusing Japanese culture with disparate styles has made him a much-in-demand collaborator. Watanabe’s impressive list of creative works across different media reflects his ever-curious ear and wandering eye. He has collaborated with iconic, groundbreaking artists such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Yo-Yo Ma, Laurie Anderson, Jason Moran, Rhiannon Giddens, flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena, and Alicia Hall Moran. He was an advisor and featured musician on Wes Anderson’s Oscar-nominated soundtrack for Isle of Dogs and a guest on Silkroad’s Grammy Award-winning album Sing Me Home. He has been commissioned to compose and arrange for such ensembles as Sydney Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and Silkroad. His works have been performed in Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Kabukiza, Théâtre du Châtelet, the Sydney Opera House, and venues across five continents.