Words & Sounds Series: Third Thursdays with M³ | Sumi Tonooka and Maya Keren

Asian Arts Initiative and Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³) present Words & Sounds Series: Third Thursdays with M³. These interdisciplinary showcases explore creative connections between music and spoken word, featuring live music performances and readings by M³ artists, followed by a guided writing activity and Q&A discussion on the third Thursdays through this Fall.

The September act features pianist Sumi Tonooka, a veteran jazz improviser and composer, and Maya Keren, a pianist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter.

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Since 2013, pianist Sumi Tonooka, a veteran jazz improviser and composer, has been writing for the symphony. Though known for playing with her ensemble Alchemy Sound Project and recording with such noted jazzmen as Rufus Reid and John Blake, Tonooka has also composed award winning film scores and regularly collaborates on inventive projects like the recent performance piece “ In the Green Room: Legacies of Asian and Black American Women in Jazz” with collaborator, vocalist and composer Jen Shyu and artistic director Rachel Cooper from the Asia Society. This project was supported by a Creative Inflections Grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Most recently, Tonooka received the 2023 PEW Artist Fellowship. She’s been creating vibrant, diverse compositions, including the yin/yang inspired “Full Circle” premiered by the American Composers Orchestra in 2014 as well as “Only The Midnight Sky and Silent Stars“ premiered by the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, composed after winning, one of four finalists in 2022, The Emerging Black Composers Project. Most recently, her Sketch At Seven was premiered by the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra in 2023, and Under The Surface, her for Alchemy Sound Project, supported by Chamber America's New Jazz Works grant is due for release at the end of 2024.

Maya Keren, (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based pianist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter from Philadelphia who is interested in living a spiritually nourishing creative life. They graduated from Princeton University in 2022, where they studied music, African American studies, and Asian American studies. Formative musical spaces include the Creative Music Program, Mutual Mentorship for Musicians, and the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music. Currently, Maya performs with their band Careful In The Sun, with Emmanuel Michael, Anna Abondolo, and Eliza Salem, drawing inspiration from Gwendolyn Brooks, Clarice Lispector, and the Wissahickon. You can listen to Maya's most recent album, Blebba Grows, on Bandcamp and all streaming services.