Searching for outlets that fulfill his interest in different aspects of music making, Koki Sato has enjoyed an active career in both performance and arts administration. Koki joined Midsummer’s Music in April 2024 as Development Director, and he leads the organization’s fundraising strategy development and campaign activities to support its mission and impacts.

Koki is the founder and Administrative Director of the University of Minnesota New Music Ensemble, whose ensemble initiatives were featured by Minnesota Public Radio. Prior to Midsummer’s Music, he held positions as Senior Graduate Peer Advisor at the University of Minnesota School of Music, Development Fellow at the National Repertory Orchestra, and Student Life Coordinator at the Saint Paul Chamber Music Institute. Committed to volunteer leadership, Koki also serves on the Board of Directors at Thursday Musical, a Twin Cities-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the enrichment of local music communities.

Koki is also a classical pianist versatile in different styles and periods, and his interdisciplinary interests inform his artistic pursuit. As an advocate of new music and its potential to expand the boundaries of classical music, for instance, Koki’s credits at the UMN New Music Ensemble include the world premiere of the new arrangement for Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint and the US premiere of Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber’s Sept Exceptions, among others. His passion for community engagement through music, furthermore, led him to such collaborative projects as the Out and About Outreach Program at the Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, the Music Under the Dome Concert Series at Coca-Cola Space Science Center, and the opening performance at the Japanese Society of Pediatric Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Born in Tokyo, Koki received the prestigious Woodruff Award for his undergraduate studies with Alexander Kobrin and Tatiana Muzanova at Columbus State University. He is currently an ABD doctoral candidate studying under Alexander Braginsky at the University of Minnesota, with a research interest in the programming and reception of post-1945 music at major American orchestras.

“I am thrilled to join the Midsummer’s Music team as the Development Director this spring. As a classical pianist, the organizational mission to enrich the local community through engaging programming and performances resonates with me. I enjoy relationship building, a core part of my development work. I look forward to connecting with supporters of Midsummer’s Music and being a part of its organizational impacts.”