Miya Masaoka, born in 1958 in Washington D.C., is an American composer and musician. She began studying classical music at age eight and later moved to Paris before returning to the United States to study at San Francisco State University, where she received her BA in Music. Masaoka's career included a diverse range of genres and media, from contemporary classical composition to experimental music. Her notable works included Monk's Japanese Folk Song (1997) and Compositions - Improvisations. She collaborated with various artists such as Pharoah Sanders, Pauline Oliveros, and Anthony Braxton. Masaoka founded the San Francisco Gagaku Society in 1989 and directed the San Francisco Electronic Music Festival in 1999. Her achievements included receiving the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship (2021), the Doris Duke Award (2013), and the Herb Alpert Award (2004). She served as an associate professor at Columbia University, directing the MFA Sound Art Program.
