A Tokyo native now based in New York City, Meg Okura is a Grammy-nominated violinist and award-winning composer whose work bridges classical, jazz, and global traditions. Known for her deeply expressive style and genre-defying vision, Okura has emerged as one of the most distinctive musical voices of her generation. She is the founder and leader of the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble (PACJE), which celebrates its 20th anniversary in the 2025–2026 season with the release of its fifth album, Isaiah, featuring legendary trumpeter Randy Brecker.

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A Juilliard-trained violinist, Okura began her professional journey early, touring Asia as the concertmaster and soloist of the Asian Youth Orchestra. She made her U.S. debut as a violin soloist at age 19 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. After earning both her bachelor's and master’s degrees in violin performance from The Juilliard School, she went on to perform worldwide at iconic venues including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Barbican Hall, Madison Square Garden, Blue Note Tokyo, Birdland, and the Hollywood Bowl. She has collaborated with a wide range of artists, from jazz legends such as Lee Konitz, Michael Brecker, Tom Harrell, Steve Swallow, and Diane Reeves, to genre-crossing innovators including David Bowie, Cirque du Soleil, and Pharaoh’s Daughter.

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The New York Times called her music “grandiloquent beauty that transitions easily from grooves to big cascades to buoyant swing.” With over 100 recording credits, nine albums as a leader, and numerous commissions and awards, she has become a vital force in both jazz and new music. Recent honors include the 2024 George Duke Commissioning Prize from the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, ISJAC’s 2023 Fundamental Freedoms Commission, the International Alliance for Women in Music’s 2023 New Music Competition Prize, two BRIO Awards, the Copland House Residency, and a Jazz Road Creative Residencies award. Her chamber work Phantasmagoria was recently featured at the Grand Teton Music Festival, LunART Festival, and Florida State University Festival of New Music, marking her rising presence in national classical and contemporary circles.

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Her commissioned works have been performed across the United States, including premieres by leading chamber ensembles and jazz orchestras. Her piece Silent Screams: An Anthem for the Unheard premiered at Vanderbilt University in Nashville in 2024. In fall 2025, her commissioned work for the 68-piece Symphonic Jazz Orchestra will premiere at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California. Her growing body of large ensemble and chamber works has been supported by Chamber Music America, New Music USA, and the NYC Women’s Fund. She has also composed for dance companies including C. Eule Dance and Attack Theatre, and frequently engages in interdisciplinary projects. Okura has given masterclasses and artist talks at The Juilliard School, the MET Museum, and the ISJAC Symposium, and welcomes new collaborations across disciplines and generations.

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Okura has released the intimate duo album Lingering with pianist Kevin Hays, described as “achingly beautiful” by The EAR Magazine, and the improvisational NPO Trio Live at the Stone with Sam Newsome and Jean-Michel Pilc. She appeared in a trio with Eric Whitacre and Hila Plitmann on The Music of Eric Whitacre, and served as composer and violinist on the Grammy-nominated album Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed with Tasha Warren and Dave Eggar. She has also maintained a long-standing collaboration with Basya Schechter and Pharaoh’s Daughter. Okura is a featured artist and ensemble member in Brian Marsella’s iMAGiNARiUM, the JC Sanford Jazz Orchestra, and the Erica Seguine/Shan Baker Jazz Orchestra. Additional recording credits include appearances with Ben Williams, Brian Landrus, Vince Giordano, and others. Her ensemble PACJE has released four critically acclaimed albums to date: Meg Okura and the Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble (2006), Naima (2010), Music of Ryuichi Sakamoto (2013), and IMA IMA (2018). The latter was named a New York Times Editor’s Pick and selected as one of the Best Releases of 2018 by All About Jazz.

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In 2026, Okura will travel to Vietnam for two months of ethnographic field research as a Henry Luce Fellow through the Asian Cultural Council, studying the indigenous musical traditions of the H’mong and Jarai peoples. This deepening exploration of global sounds continues to inform her compositional voice, pushing the boundaries of chamber jazz and redefining what it means to be a contemporary composer-performer.