Mayu Saeki a Japanese-born flutist, pianist, composer, recording artist, bandleader, and educator based in New York.

With nearly a decade of her musical career in New York City, Mayu Saeki, Elizabeth University of Music alumni with M.M. degree,* still keeps transforming herself with no limit.  Her versatile and yet passionate playstyle is deeply rooted in her early childhood classical training and mentorship with Sanae Nakayama, Keiji Oshiro, Kazukiyo Inoue, Pierre Yves Artaud, Alain Marion, and the NEA jazz master, Chico Hamilton.  She isn't a stranger to jazz clubs like Jazz At the Kitano and Jazz Gallery to name a few, but also is welcomed in hardcore rock venues like Brooklyn Bowl and Rockwood Music Hall to captivate wide range of audiences.  

As she has relocated to New York from Tokyo, the opportunity has knocked her door to be a part of Chico Hamilton’s group. She has recorded several albums including “Revelation” & “Euphoric” (Joyous Shout! 2011) under the credit of the band, Chico Hamilton's Euphoria. She has continued to work with Hamilton until his passing in 2013. His last recording, “The Inquiring Mind” (Joyous Shout! 2014) features her composition “HOPE.”  Aside from working in Euphoria, she has began actively performing with her own trio from 2011, and has made the debut at Jazz at the Kitano (NYC) with Aaron Goldberg on piano and Joe Sanders on bass.  After a couple of Atlantic coastal tours, she has returned to the Kitano (NYC) in 2013 with Goldberg joined by Matt Penman on bass.

Post-Euphoria era, her “sideman” career continues to grow with an all-female Irish music group, Four Celtic Voices toured from 2015 to 2017. In addition, She has collaborated with a recording project “+ Strings” (MGQ 2018) by Grammy award-winning jazz alto saxophonist, Mark Gross, and she is featured on flute and piccolo parts respectively. She appeared with the Lewis Nash Group, led by the legendary Lewis Nash (drummer/composer/bandleader), at The Nash (Phoenix AZ) in Marc 2018. She also appeared with Latin Grammy award-winning artist Arturo O'farrill and Resist for Ronald K. Brown Evidence, performed at Jacob's Pillow (Massachusetts) in July 2018, at Joyce Theater (NYC) in January 2019 and Strathmore Hall (Bethesda MD) in November 2019. She also expands her limit to all kinds of music such as Rock singer song writer Cosmos Sunshine Group, Harpist & Singer Erin Hills's Kate Bush Project, and more.

Her anticipated debut album "HOPE" has released from Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on March 16, 2018. The album includes original compositions previously recorded with Chico Hamilton’s Euphoria, “Dilemma,” “Do You Know…?,” and “Hope” joined by Aaron Goldberg  (special guest) and Nori Ochiai on piano, Joe Saunders on bass, and John Davis on drums recorded in Brooklyn, NY. Her album release tour over 2018 - Duo with Warren Wolf on piano at And Die Musik (Baltimore MD), Quartet with Nick Manson trio at The Nash (Phoenix AZ) and Jazz at the Kitano (NYC) with Ayako Shirasaki on piano, Noriko Ueda on bass and E.J. Strickland on drums. She was featured in Downbeat Magazine artist feature page (July 2018 issue) by Phillip Lutz. Also she was nominated for "Rising star flute" category in Downbeat Magazine 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

She is a voting member for Recording Academy since 2022.

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Her educator side, 2018 summer, Mayu was a guest clinician for Texas Summer Flute Symposium Jazz improvisation masterclass at Texas A&M university (Commerce TX), performed for an opening concert with Dr. Julle Kim Walker. She was invited to lecture with Carol Mellis for a summer band camp 2019 at Arizona State University (Tempi AZ), also Woman In Jazz 2019 at The Nash (Phoenix AZ). She was also invited to be a guest speaker for The University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music with Professor Demarre McGill in spring 2023. She also teaches for "Jazz House Kids" (NYC) piano group class, PS 206 and PS101Q (Queens NY)  after school music program regularly.

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Additionally, theater-work, she was a substitute for a chair flutist Joshua Johnson for Off-Broadway production "Fiddler On The Roof Yiddish" at Stage 42 (NYC)  in 2018, 2019 and 2020, also recently subbed for a chair flutist Adrianne Greenbaum at New World Stages (NYC) in 2022. She also worked with "Goodbye New York" musical as an accompanist (pianist) performed with Ben Jeffrey (currently Pumbaa for The Lion King on Broadway) and Arielle Jacobs (former Jasmin for Aladdin on Broadway), music by Andrew Beal. Recently, she has finished her own two shows "Miss Saigon" at White Plains Performing Arts Center (White Plains, NY) and "The Secret Garden" at A Contemporary Theater of Connecticut (Ridgefield, CT) both as a reed 1.

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Lastly, Classical-music-work, she was a flutist for The Opera Next Door production "Cosi Fun Tutte" summer 2021. Also she has played the flute and the piccolo with Bronx Arts Ensemble for several shows in 2022.Also she has performed for Hills Concerto Competition at Merkin Hall (NYC).

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Trevor James Flutes Artist Page 

https://www.altoandbass.com/artists

Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records Artist Page 

http://www.bjurecords.com/mayu-saeki

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*The Master of Music
Educational reference and/or resume is available upon request.

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