Our Project

This year saw the founding of East Zodiac and the creation of our social media pages. We held multiple rounds of fundraising and successfully raised the money needed to commission Christopher's new work for Eb clarinet and piano. Following the creation of the piece, it was performed twice, once at KSU and then again at St. Alban Church in Baton Rouge Louisiana. It is now available for purchase and download here.

East Zodiac had a successful second year in 2024, the Year of the Dragon, featuring several highlights! Daixuan Ai, a DMA composition student at Indiana University, was chosen as our second commissioned composer and created a duet for Bb Clarinet and Alto Saxophone, which premiered in April at the University of Michigan. We were also honored to be selected by the University of Michigan EXCELerator program, one of the few student projects to participate in this entrepreneurial fellowship. This opportunity provided our team with invaluable guidance, advice, and tangible financial and promotional support, including up to $1,000 in seed money and an additional $4,000 in funding. Through this program, our team was able to attend the Yale 2024 Innovation Summit, where we were able to connect with many inspiring individuals.

East Zodiac was also represented at three Asian events across Michigan, and our premiere piece received additional support from a new consortium project that raised over $200. This consortium allowed artists and musicians to directly support East Zodiac and gain exclusive benefits, rights, and recognition, contributing to our successful fundraising efforts. We are incredibly grateful for everyone who supported us this year and we look forward to Year of the Snake 2025!

The 2024–2025 Year of the Snake was a milestone season for East Zodiac, marked by expansion, recognition, and deepened community engagement. In the summer of 2024, East Zodiac officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the state of Michigan, laying the groundwork for continued growth and sustainability.

We were honored to commission Migiwa Miyajima, an internationally acclaimed Japanese composer and jazz bandleader, as our composer-in-residence for the season. Her work, written as a trio for vibraphone, bass clarinet, and B-flat clarinet, reflected the fluidity, mystery, and wisdom symbolized by the snake.

Our annual premiere concert took place in April 2025 at Northside Community Church in Ann Arbor, MI, featuring a vibrant program of works by Asian composers. The event also included a post-concert reception in partnership with local Asian-owned businesses, fostering cultural exchange through both music and food.

This season marked our largest outreach effort to date. We traveled to Furman University and the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities to present lecture-recitals and workshops. We were also invited to speak on a panel at Indiana University and returned as a student showcase speaker at the 2025 Yale University Innovation Summit.

In addition to these engagements, East Zodiac proudly sponsored performances in Toronto, Canada, and New York City, where performing artists shared the organization’s mission through composer showcases and artist talks.

We also launched our first food-based fundraiser series, “Taste of the East” lunch sales at the University of Michigan, and participated in community performances with the Michigan Taiwanese American Organization (MiTAI) and the first-ever Ann Arbor Asian Night Market.

The Year of the Snake embodied transformation and forward momentum. With growing national recognition, deeper partnerships, and bold artistic endeavors, East Zodiac continues to build a thriving ecosystem for Asian music and creators in the U.S.

In the 2025–2026 season, East Zodiac dreamed boldly, beginning with the launch of our first-ever Artists-in-Residence program featuring the Cerus Quartet. Our season culminated in our most highly attended premiere concert yet, welcoming nearly 70 audience members. This season also marked another exciting step in our commitment to new music through the commissioning of a new saxophone quartet by Cincinnati-based composer Wenbin Lyu. Inspired by powerful mythical horses from cultures around the world, the work was made possible through a consortium of incredible partner ensembles, and we look forward to seeing the many journeys this piece will take in the years ahead.

Moreover, we collaborated with Unison Chamber Music Collective on two performances and joined Marupo ACT’s Lights After Dark and Asian Night Market events through performances and community engagement.

True to the spirit of the Year of the Fire Horse, our outreach traveled farther than ever before. We performed at the National Day Gala hosted by the Taiwanese Ambassador in Chicago, appeared with MiTAI in Detroit, and celebrated AAPI Heritage through a performance at the Detroit Institute of Arts. We also shared our mission through guest lectures at the University of Alaska and Oakland University, and were delighted to join WCBN Radio to speak with DJ Pete about our work and vision. We are excited to continue building connections through music and look forward to what lies ahead.

None of this would have been possible without the support of our audiences, collaborators, consortium partners, volunteers, and sponsors. Thank you to everyone who believed in our mission, attended our events, and helped make this remarkable season possible.