Mako Kikuchi

Mako (formerly Paul) Kikuchi (he/him) heard Ella Fitzgerald in concert from the womb and was born the next day. He shares a birthday with Prince. Mako’s music is wide ranging—from drone/ambient soundscapes to compositions for traditional Japanese instruments. His interests in community, identity, and activism inform his creative process. His work has been supported by the National Endowment of the Arts, Chamber Music America, and New Music USA, among others. Mako is tenured music faculty at South Seattle College. As an educator he is committed to the decolonization of music curricula and the cultivation of life-long connections to music. He lives in Seattle.

Last updated December 2024

Stories from This Author

Nikkei Chronicles #13—Nikkei Names 2: Grace, Graça, Graciela, Megumi?

Mako

Dec. 4, 2024 • Mako Kikuchi

This is Arthur Makoto Kikuchi, my grandpa. I’ll never know, but my assumption is that his parents, Zenkichi and Hagino Kikuchi, who were Issei, felt the need to give him an American name but called him by his Japanese name, Makoto. The quandary of what to name the first born in a new land must be common in the immigrant experience: how does one weigh the pressure of assimilation with the comfort of addressing your child in your native tongue? …