Midsummer’s Music Names New Development Director

Koki Sato brings experience in performance and arts administration to the organization.

Sister Bay, Wis. (April 15, 2024) – Midsummer’s Music, Wisconsin’s longest-running summer chamber music series, recently named Koki Sato as its new Development Director.

Sato 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.

He 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, Sato’s credits at the UMN New Music Ensemble include the world premiere of the new arrangement for Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint and the U.S. 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, Sato 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.

When asked about Midsummer’s Music and his new position, Sato said, “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.”

Midsummer’s Music celebrates 34 years of bringing chamber music to Door County in 2024. Visit www.midsummersmusic.com for the complete summer schedule of concerts and events.

Midsummer’s Music was co-founded in 1990 by Jim and Jean Berkenstock, long-time Door County summer residents and principal orchestral players with the Lyric Opera of Chicago. What began as two concerts among friends has become one of the Midwest’s most anticipated chamber music series, bringing thousands of chamber music enthusiasts from around the globe to the magical Door County Peninsula.