Meet our Current McKnight Composer Fellows

Saxophonist and composer Nathan Hanson makes music that invites listeners to stand outside themselves and the flow of time. His improvisations are “lithe and soaring, engaging in judicious honk ‘n’ splatter” (New York City Jazz Record). In Europe, Hanson has performed at the Atlantique Jazz Festival, Splendor (Amsterdam), and the Sons d’Hiver Festival (Paris). In the U.S., he’s played at Knitting Factory (New York), the Outpost (Albuquerque), the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis), and Elastic (Chicago).

With grants from New Music America and the Minnesota State Arts Board, Hanson has launched solo projects that explore how space interacts with sound. Whether it’s a cathedral, a tree farm, or a sculpture garden, Hanson investigates how to channel the sound of each performance space. The energy of the audience circulates with the music, silence, and breath. The effect leads listeners to become more present to the unfolding of each moment.

As a composer, Asako Hirabayashi has written five operas and 33 chamber pieces, which have been played in 15 countries and recorded on three commercial CDs. Her first commercial CD, on which she composed and played all the music, received seven favorable reviews internationally. As a harpsichordist, she has performed as a guest soloist in seven countries since her debut recital at Carnegie Hall in New York, where she earned a DMA in Harpsichord Performance from the Juilliard School.

Her awards include a 2009 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians as a solo harpsichordist, 2016 McKnight Fellowship for Composers, 2012 Jerome Fund for New Music award, 2019 Schubert Club Composer Award, 2021 Opera America’s Discovery Grant, MNiatures by MN Opera, and several first prizes in the Alienor International Harpsichord Composition Competition.

Japanese-born composer Asuka Kakitani draws inspiration from nature, transforming her visions into evocative musical narratives. Often programmatic, her compositions reflect imagination and perspective, exploring an inner world where memory, emotion, and sound intertwine. She has been described as “a musical impressionist and supreme colorist” (Hot House Magazine) whose music is an “overflowing world of inspirational melody” (DownBeat Magazine). Kakitani’s work spans jazz large ensembles, chamber groups, vocal music, electroacoustics, and film scoring. Her work has been recognized by organizations such as New Music USA, the McKnight Foundation, the Jerome Foundation, American Composers Forum, Brooklyn Arts Council, and Minnesota State Arts Board.

Siama established his legacy by recording hundreds of songs, composing and touring the world with popular Soukous and Congolese Rumba artists. Now based in Minneapolis, he’s a prolific composer known for his intricate guitar, spirited singing, catchy songs, and traditional African instruments. His songs — often fun sing-alongs in Kikongo, Lingala, English, and Swahili — feature the syncopated 6/8 rhythms, melodic layers, and voices characteristic of his Bas Congo (western DR Congo) homeland.

Siama makes music to foster healing and community. It’s truly for everyone — music heads, toddlers, students, and elders alike. He’s an award-winning artist who’s been featured in major media outlets and performed for three presidents, yet he remains rooted in his happy rural hometown, where families gather in the evenings to sing and tell stories under the stars.