The Keiko M. Sato New Music Fund honors the widely respected pianist, teacher, and arts supporter Keiko Sato, and her brother, painter Tadashi Sato. Keiko Sato was a piano teacher born in Lahaina in 1931, but lived most of her life in Honolulu.
The Keiko M. Sato New Music Fund was established by the Board of Directors of the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony in February, 2013. The Keiko Sato Fund is used towards the commission of major new compositions, orchestrations, and arrangements created expressly for performances by Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony.
60th Anniversary Performances Supported by the Sato Fund
To celebrate 60 years of HYS, each Symphony Program ensemble is debuting a new commission during our 60th Anniversary Symphony Program Spring Concerts in April 2025. Meet the composers below!
Dr. Byron Yasui, Jan Ken Po, for Concert Orchestra
Dr. Byron K. Yasui joined the music theory/composition faculty at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 1972. His degrees include B. Ed (secondary music), University of Hawai‘i, 1965; M.M. (composition), Northwestern University, 1967; and D.M.A. (composition), Northwestern, 1972. Since 1985, he has annually received ASCAP standard awards in composition and has had two orchestral works premiered at Carnegie Hall. He was named one of the 500 most influential Asian Americans in the US (in the field of education) in the 1996 edition of Avenue Asia. Dr. Byron Yasui served as region VII co-chair of the Society of Composers, Inc. and is currently serving a second five year term on the Honolulu Mayor’s Commission of Culture and the Arts.
Justin Park (HYS ‘22), Hōkūpaʻa, for Youth Symphony II
Justin Park was raised in Mililani, Hawaiʻi. As a composer, he strives to create inspiring and thought-provoking works for the contemporary stage and media. Rooted in the classical tradition, his music draws from a diverse range of influences, including contemporary Hawaiian music and experimental electronic music. Justin previously studied music composition and engineering at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He recently earned his bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music, specializing in music production and audio engineering. His work has been recognized by the National Young Composer’s Challenge, the Fromm Music Foundation, and the Playground Ensemble. His upcoming works will be performed in 2025 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu, the Hawaiʻi Youth Symphony, and the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Takuma Itoh, Orbital, for Youth Symphony I
Dr. Takuma Itoh has taught at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa since 2012 where he is Professor of Music. He holds degrees from Cornell University, University of Michigan, and Rice University. His music has been described as “brashly youthful and fresh” (New York Times), and has been featured amongst one of “100 Composers Under 40” on WQXR. Itoh has been the recipient of two Barlow Endowment general commission, Music Alive: New Partnerships grant, the Chamber Music America Classical Commission, the ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prize, six ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, the Leo Kaplan Award, and is the Kaulunani Artist in Residence for 2014. Recently, Itoh has been instrumental in creating two innovative education programs, Symphony of the Hawaiian Birds (2018) and the Symphony of the Hawai‘i Forests (2023), which has since brought over 14,000 young students to hear new orchestral compositions alongside original animations to raise awareness of Hawai‘i’s many endangered bird species and forests, respectively.
How Does New Music Create Opportunities For Our Youth?
The Keiko M. Sato New Music Fund allows HYS to serve its students and the community by:
- Giving our youth the opportunity to learn and perform new works specifically created for them.
- Connecting our youth with living composers, and engaging them in the compositional process.
- Adding major new works, written and premiered by HYS, to our music library.
Fostering a Vibrant Musical Community
By supporting contemporary composers, we not only enrich our repertoire with fresh, exciting music but also foster a vibrant musical community. Commissioning new works by living composers is a vital investment in the future of music. By commissioning, we directly support composers whose livelihoods often depend on opportunities to create and share their art. Our commitment to commissioning helps to foster a thriving musical ecosystem, inspiring and nurturing future generations of composers and musicians while introducing Hawaiʻi audiences to the exhilarating world of contemporary classical music.
Works Commissioned Through the Keiki M. Sato New Music Fund
Matt Cadirao
“My Sweet Pikake Lei” – The Brothers Cazimero Arr. Matt Cadirao
Michael-Thomas Foumai
“Elysium: Fanfares on Themes from the Beethoven Symphonies” (2019)
“Sea of Love” – Raiatea Helm, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai
“Pua Maeʻole” – Raiatea Helm, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai
“The One They’d Call Hawaiʻi” – Raiatea Helm, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai
“‘Ahulili” – Raiatea Helm, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai
“Hawai‘i Aloha” – James McGranahan, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai
“Haleʻiwa Hula” – Amy Hānaialiʻi and William Kahaialiʻi, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai and Matt Catingub
“Mauna Kea” – Amy Hānaialiʻi and William Kahaialiʻi, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai and Matt Catingub
“Pālehua” – Amy Hānaialiʻi and William Kahaialiʻi, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai and Matt Catingub
“Overture on Themes from the Songbook of Her Majesty Queen Liliʻuokalani”
“Over the Rainbow” – Harold Alren, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai
“Impossible Dream” – Mitch Leigh, Arr. Michael-Thomas Foumai
Daniel Houglum
“I Miss You” – Arr. Daniel Houglum
“End of the World” – Arr. Daniel Houglum
“You Already Knew” – Arr. Daniel Houglum
“Rooftops” – Arr. Daniel Houglum
Dr. Takuma Itoh
“Orbital” for full orchestra (2025)
Dr. Neil McKay
“Ta Manu” – Alice Namakelua, Arr. Neil McKay
“Her Majesty’s Pearl” – Randy Wong, Arr. Neil McKay
“Firecrackers” – Denny, Arr. Neil McKay
Morala
“Here is Happiness” – Kikitaro Takahashi Arr. Morala
Dale Senaga
“He Manaʻo Aloha” – The Brothers Cazimero Arr. Dale Senaga
“Pua Hone” – Dennis Kamakahi Arr. Dale Senaga
“Tears” – Makana Arr. Dale Senaga
“Ka Wailele O Nuʻuanu” – Kauka Arr. Dale Senaga
“Fado” – Makana Arr. Dale Senaga
Donald Reid Womack
“Rush” – Arr. Donald Reid Womack
Randy Wong
“Primitiva/Coronation” – Les Baxter, arr. Randy Wong
“Quiet Village” – Baxter, arr. Randy Wong
Dr. Byron Yasui
“Jan Ken Po! A Celebration of Youth” for full orchestra (2025)