Midori Larsen—Composer and Educator

Midori Larsen is a New York City-based award-winning composer and educator. Her music combines Japanese taiko drums and Western musical instruments and integrates  elements of Western classical, jazz, and Japanese music. A classically trained pianist with a PhD from NYU, Larsen became a composer while caring for a school-aged child. Within just a few years, she received multiple recognitions and grants for her original compositions including Jerome Foundation (Finalist 2023, 2025), New Music USA (2022), and Flushing Town Hall (2022). Other recognitions include artist-in-residence at Good Hart Artist Residency (2024), LunArt Festival Call-for-Score Winner (2023), Culture Lab LIC in 2022 and at Good Hart Artist Residency in 2024. She composes music based on empowering stories of 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. Her recent project in collaboration with JHS 157 in Queens, NY, “Go Chase Your Dreams,” is a two-part choral piece and music video project centering the stories and messages of immigrant mothers, voiced through their children. 

Midori is originally from Yokosuka City, Japan.