Kana Miyamoto is a New York–based flutist and composer from Chiba, Japan. Known for her lyrical sound and expressive approach to improvisation, her music is rooted in jazz while extending into collaborative performance, field recording, and explorations of sound and place. She is the first-prize winner of the National Flute Association Jazz Artist Competition. Across her work, Miyamoto explores music as a conversation between musicians, environments, and the sounds that emerge in the moment.

Her first band, Kanacept, is a flute quartet that brings together elements of jazz and classical music. The group toured six cities in Japan, and its music was also featured on WNYC-FM in New York. Her flute and kora project In the Forest was recorded outdoors in Japan, allowing the natural environment to become part of the improvisation. She also created and curates Duo Connections, a concert series centered on close musical exchange, through which she has collaborated with artists including Steve Cardenas, Leni Stern, Arta Jēkabosone, Kengchakaj, Mathis Kane, and Moto Fukushima.

Miyamoto is a recipient of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists” grant and the Queens Arts Fund grant. Her work has been presented at The Moth Gala, the Swing into Spring Jazz Festival, and the Residence of the Ambassador of Japan in New York. She remains an active presence in New York’s jazz and creative music community.

Kana Miyamoto is a New York–based flutist and composer from Chiba, Japan. Known for her lyrical sound and expressive approach to improvisation, her music is rooted in jazz while extending into collaborative performance, field recording, and explorations of sound and place. She is the first-prize winner of the National Flute Association Jazz Artist Competition.

Based in New York, Miyamoto moves between her own projects, collaborative performances, and recording work across the city’s jazz and creative music community. Her work has been presented at Nublu, ShapeShifter Lab, The Moth Gala, the Swing into Spring Jazz Festival, and the Residence of the Ambassador of Japan in New York. She is also active as a performer and recording flutist across jazz and New York’s independent music scene, working with artists and projects including Arta Jēkabosone, June McDoom, Sammy Weissberg, and Kolumbo.

Her recent work reflects a growing interest in listening, environment, and musical exchange. Her newest project, In the Canyon, recorded solo in Utah with flute and a portable recorder, allows the surrounding landscape and naturally occurring sounds to shape the improvisation. The project is scheduled for release in October 2026. Her earlier flute and kora project, In the Forest, created with Yasuhiro Sakairi and recorded outdoors in Japan, similarly brings environmental sound into the music.

Miyamoto also created and curates Duo Connections, an intimate concert series centered on improvisation and musical dialogue. Through the series, she has collaborated with artists including Steve Cardenas, Leni Stern, Arta Jēkabosone, Kengchakaj, Mathis Kane, and Moto Fukushima.

Miyamoto studied flute in the United States and Japan, graduating from Interlochen Arts Academy and Tokyo College of Music. She later moved to New York City to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where jazz, improvisation, and collaboration became increasingly central to her musical voice.

As a composer and bandleader, Miyamoto formed the flute quartet Kanacept, blending elements of jazz and classical music. The group released Spring Doze, toured in Japan, and was featured on WNYC-FM and in the Japanese jazz magazine The Walkers. She later released Dancer in the Galaxy, expanding her sound through acoustic and electronic textures.

Miyamoto is a recipient of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ “Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists” grant and the Queens Arts Fund grant. She is also a winner of the NFA Jazz Masterclass Competition, a member of the Recording Academy, and a Myers Pickups Artist. She teaches at the New York Jazz Workshop and Hug Music School.