Migiwa Miyajima

After graduating from the Department of Education at Sophia University in Tokyo, Miyajima produced real estate ads at Recruit, worked as an IT engineer, and was an editor for a travel magazine. Then in 2004, at the age of 30, she decided to leave the desk jobs behind and follow her passion, shifting to a career in music. She taught herself, foregoing formal musical college, and turned pro. In 2012, having received a scholarship through a Japanese government program for artists and a Japan-US Friendship Commission fellowship, Miyajima picked up and moved to New York. She now leads big bands on both sides of the Pacific that play her works, and she also composes for artists such as world-renowned saxophonist Steve Wilson.

Miyajima drew the attention of the industry when she became the first Japanese person ever selected to represent the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (VJO), a Grammy-award-winning band with more than 50 years of history, originally formed as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. In 2009, she successfully produced VJO’s fist Japan tour in 20 years, and in 2011 and 2014, she was nominated for a Grammy as the associate producer on two VJO albums. Skilled at collaborating with people working in different artistic disciplines as well, Miyajima is enjoying success in both Tokyo and New York, where she has produced events with painters, dancers, floral artists (ikebana), and others.

Since 2010, Miyajima has served as a judge for the “Stellar Jam” big band contest. From 2010 to 2011, she coordinated Douglas Purviance’s talk show and book, Mae ni susumu chikara (Discover 21, co-authored with Toru Atobe). In addition to managing VJO big band workshops every year since 2010, Miyajima has worked vigorously to connect American musicians with Japan. She holds her own workshops and lessons in locations around Japan and is actively carrying out lectures on career education. She has also been invited to speak at government-sponsored events in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kawasaki City in Kanagawa Prefecture, and elsewhere. In 2016, Miyajima carried out educational activities in 13 cities in Japan.

In addition, in 2015 she co-founded the New York Japanese Women Jazz Composers (NYJWJC) along with composer Asuka Kakitani and director Naomi Oshiro. The group is comprised of Japanese women composers who are residing in New York, and it organizes and carries out various international music-related exchanges. A concert held by the group in 2016 received support from the NY Consulate General, the NY office of the Japan Travel Bureau, and the Brooklyn Arts Council. In 2018 she co-founded NY Jazz Composers' Mosaic with Jihye Lee (South Korea) and Rafael Piccolotto de Lima (Brazil).

http://www.vanguardjazzorchestra.com
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (VJO), a 16-piece jazz orchestra that calls New York’s famous Village Vanguard jazz club its home, has been making music for more than 50 years. Founded in 1966 as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the orchestra is among the premier ensembles in the world, and they continue to appear weekly at the Vanguard on Monday nights. In 2009, Miyajima volunteered to produce the band’s first Japan tour in 20 years, and the following year, she became the band’s representative in Japan. Since that time, she had produced the band’s annual Japan tours and Japan workshops till 2017. She also began working as the associate producer on VJO albums, and two of those CDs were nominated for Grammys in 2011 and 2014. (For further info, see below.)