SHOKO NAGAI - Biography

Pianist Accordionist Improviser Composer

Shoko Nagai is a versatile musical artist who improvises and performs with world-renowned musicians on piano and accordion and composes original scores for films and live performances. As a teenager in her native Japan, Nagai was trained on Yamaha's electronic organ, the "Electone," to perform popular music. Since moving to the U.S. from Japan and studying classical, jazz music, and compositions at Berklee, she has adapted her mastery of the keyboard to prepared piano, accordions, and other keyboard instruments, often inspired by the minimalist approach of composer Toru Takemitsu. Whether she is performing Klezmer, Balkan or experimental music, Nagai is a charismatic presence onstage, who hypnotizes audiences with her intense focus and virtuoso sound.

Performed with: Pauline Oliveros, John Zorn, Butch Moris, Erik Freidlander, Satoshi Takeishi, Frank London, Elliot Sharp, Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto), many of wellknown Yiddish Singers

Performed at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, National Sawdust, Brooklyn Museum, Museum Of Modern Art, Roulette, BAM, Symphony Space, Bowery Poetry Club, Jewish Heritage Museum, Fotografiska Museum, Bryant Park Summer Stage many more.

[Award]

* 2026 ACC (Asian Culture Counsil) Fellowship

* 2025 Composers Now by ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund honorarium.

*2024 TABI-Another Time “Best Science Fiction” directed by John Williams

* 2023 and 2010 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow in Music/Sound

* 2023 M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians) award

* 2022 International Song writing Competition JAZZ category Finalist

* 2021 Chamber Music America Fellow, 2021 City Artist Corps Fellow

* 2008 Jazzjants Fellow

“Whether traipsing over a steady, rolling rhythm or swimming through a collage of abstract sound, Nagai, a pianist, treat every moment as an opportunity for deep synchronicity.” GIOVANNI RUSSONELL - New York Times

[Tours and Performances] 

2026 BANG ON A CAN -Long Play Festival Shoko Nagai/ Satoshi Takeishi’s VORTEX

2024-2026 Apr. Nagai/ Huebner/ Takeishi NHT Trio tour Germany

2024-2026 Michael Winograd Yiddish Klezmer US & Japan Tour

2024 Nov. 가수와 세계적인 실험 뮤지션의 만남 Playing with Koo Chang, Mo Band @ Seoul, Korea

가수와 세계적인 실험 뮤지션의 만남　Seoul, Korea

2024 June 공식 ( with Ji yun Song and Jihye Kim @ Seoul , Korea

2024 John Williams Theater Project Galaxy Art Festival Sado Island, Japan

2024 Sanda Weigl Trio -Unfinished Festival Bucharest, Romania

2024-2026 Research project with Artist Nishiki Sugiwara-Beda @ Amarillo, Texas

2024-2026 Solo Frequent Fridays Electronics Festival @ Columbus, OH

2005- on going Japan tour of Vortex Duo (Shoko Nagai and Satoshi Takeishi, an experimental electro-acoustic)      

US tour 2017 with Erik Friedlander performing from “Ring”

European tour 2015 with Erik Friedlander performing from “Nothing on Earth”

Italian tour 2015 with Marco Cappelli, performing with Italian actor Andrea Renzi, in a play based on Italian detective story, written by Maurizio de Giovanni.

2015, 2016 New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival 

2015 Newport Jazz Festival with Matana Roberts

2015 New York Shakespeare Festival 

[Film Scores]

“ TABI” Another Time (2025) Nagai/ Takeishi’s compositions for directed by John Williams

- Nominee : Levadia International Film Festival “Best International Feature Film” “Best Science Fiction” “Best Original Sound Track” Award of “Best Original Song”

-The Galactic Imaginarium Film Festival, Romania “Best Fantasy Feature Film Award”

-Sado Galaxy Art Festival, Japan “Special Invitation, Opening Film”

-HELIOS SUN POETRY FILM FESTIVAL, Mexico

-Folklore film festival, Kerala, India

- The Discubierto Fantastic Film Festival, Peru

-Girona International Film Festival, Spain 

-Pumpkin International Film Festival, China

* Mother and Hiding in the Attic — Film Music Original film score for a short poetry video telling the story of Roald Hoffmann, a Nobel Laureates and Holocaust survivor. Video published by TOWERS (April 2022)

* Mari Kawade HodoBuzz (2020),

* Quartet of films directed by Linda Hoaglund : Edo Avant-garde ( NHK TV JAPAN 2019) The Wound and The Gift, narrated by Vanessa Redgrave (Vancouver, DOC NYC, Tokyo FilmX 2014) Things Left Behind, (2012) produced by Japan's national broadcaster, NHK ANPO: Art X War (2010 Toronto, DOC NYC, Vancouver, and Hong Kong film festival,

* CARE (HBO, 2016 DOC NYC, AFI DOCS, Sheffield Doc Fest, Reelworld Impact Award) directed by Diredre Fishel festivals),

* L'amour Cache (2007), directed by Alessandro Capone and conducted by Butch Morris.

[Recording]

Shoko Nagai/ Satoshi Takeishi PARALLEL WORLD (2026)

Shoko Nagai & Has Tammen & Satoshi Takeishi TRIO CELESTIAL DRIFTERS Vor. 2 (2026)

Shoko Nagai & Has Tammen Duo CELESTIAL DRIFTERS (2025)

Daniella Rabbani Klezmerette (2026)

Shoko Nagai’s Forbidden Flowers ( Frequent Seams 2025)

Nagai/ Hebner/ Takeishi NHT Trio (2026)

Maryanne De Prophetis Come O light (ENNA Records 2025)

Sex And The City : Just Like That ( musician role) by HBO Productions (Feb 2022)

Shoko Nagai- VORTEX (2002)

Shoko Nagai- Taken Shadows Animul Records (2014)

Erik Friedlander: Nothing On Earth (2014), Ring (2016)

Songs of Zebulon -Jeremiah Lockwood/ Frank London

Leslie Pintchik- You eat my food, You drink my wine, You steal my girl (2014)

Fire of Space -Handbasket (482 Music, 2005)

Matana Robert- Coin Coin Missisippi Moonchile (2013)

FIDO Quartet (ENNA Records 2016)

Isle Klezbos: Live in Brooklyn 2013)

Isle Klezbos: Yiddish Silver Screen (2013)

Inna Barmash:  Yiddish Lullabies & Love Songs (2013)

Sanda Weigl Gypsy in a tree (2010)