Erena Terakubo

ABOUT

Erena Terakubo is an internationally acclaimed saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, and educator from Sapporo, Japan. Renowned for her expressive artistry and technical mastery, she has appeared on stages across five continents and performed with some of the most respected names in jazz, including Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Louis Hayes, Christian McBride, Jimmy Cobb, and Jon Faddis.

Her career began at an extraordinary pace—while still in high school, she recorded her debut album North Bird, which reached #1 on the Japanese jazz charts and earned Swing Journal’s prestigious Gold Disc award. Since then, she has released six more albums as a leader and performed at world-renowned venues and festivals such as Blue Note Tokyo and New York, Dizzy’s Club, Birdland Jazz Club, Smoke Jazz Club, the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, the Tokyo Jazz Festival, and International Jazz Day at the United Nations. She has also appeared with celebrated ensembles including the Kenny Barron Quartet, the Mingus Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Ulysses Owens Jr.’s Generation Y, the Jon Faddis Quartet +1, Vincent Herring Also Madness, and the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside her performance career, Terakubo is deeply committed to music education. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree as a Presidential Scholar at Berklee College of Music, studying with influential artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington and Tiger Okoshi. She later completed her Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music, where she further refined her artistry and compositional voice.

Terakubo has shared her expertise with students around the world, leading workshops, clinics, and masterclasses throughout the United States, Japan, and Europe. Her teaching focuses on building strong technical skills, developing a personal sound, and gaining confidence in improvisation—all while encouraging students to find joy and freedom in music-making.

In 2025, she joined the faculty at Michigan State University as an Assistant Professor of Jazz Saxophone. At MSU, she combines her global performance experience with her dedication to mentoring the next generation of jazz artists, fostering both discipline and creativity in her students.

She is a Yamaha Performing Artist for saxophone and a Miyazawa Flute Artist, proudly representing these world-class brands in both performance and educational settings. Whether performing in a concert hall, playing in a jazz club, or mentoring a student in a private lesson, Terakubo strives to inspire and connect with people through music.