Megumi Kanda

Biography

Megumi Kanda, Principal Trombone of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 2002, is an internationally acclaimed performer, teacher, author, and composer. She has performed as soloist across the United States, Europe, and Asia, including with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Pershing’s Own Army Band, US Army Field Band, and the Prague Chamber Orchestra. She has commissioned and/or premiered works of numerous composers and has been a featured guest artist at many trombone workshops and festivals, including the International Trombone Festival and the American Trombone Workshop.

Megumi has appeared as guest faculty at numerous music institutions, including the New World Symphony, National Youth Orchestra, and Interlochen Arts Academy, and has given masterclasses and recitals around the world. After serving in multiple roles with the International Trombone Association, Megumi begins her term as President of the ITA in July 2026.

In April 2006, Megumi was recognized by the Arion Foundation in Tokyo as one of the most influential Japanese classical artists. She has also received a Certificate of Commendation from the Consul General of Japan at Chicago in recognition for her distinguished service contributing to the friendship between the United States and Japan. Megumi was named a 2017 Woman of Influence by the Milwaukee Business Journal in the category of education. In 2020, she was named the recipient of the International Trombone Association Award, which recognizes the highest level of creative and artistic achievement.

Megumi’s three books, The One Hundred (2015), Trombone Unlimited (2020), and Effortless Trombone (2026) are resources widely used by aspiring trombonists around the world. As a JVC/Victor Entertainment artist, Megumi recorded three solo albums: Amazing Grace, Gloria, and Mona Lisa. She also can be heard on Magnifique Live, a live recording of Megumi and other JVC artists in the August 2005 performance at Takemitsu Hall in Tokyo’s Opera City.

A native of Tokyo, Japan, Megumi began to play the trombone at age ten and continued her studies at the prestigious Toho High School of Music, where she studied with Sumio Miwa, formerly of the NHK Symphony. At age fifteen, she became the youngest player ever to be named as one of the top ten trombonists at the Japanese Wind and Percussion Competition. Two years later, she won the Grand Prize in the National Competition for Solo Trombone.

Megumi moved to the United States in 1994 and received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with James DeSano, former Principal Trombone of the Cleveland Orchestra. Prior to joining the Milwaukee Symphony, she served as Principal Trombone of the Albany Symphony Orchestra and as a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She was also on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music Community Education Division. Megumi is proud to be a Greenhoe Artist, and performs on a Greenhoe trombone.

An avid gardener, Megumi was chosen to participate in the 2013 Garden Tour in Shorewood, WI. She also enjoys swimming, taking walks with her husband, MSO horn player Dietrich Hemann, and spending time with sons Hans, Max, and Lukas.

SPECIALTIES:

Performance anxiety
Overuse injury
Audition preparation

LANGUAGES:

English, Japanese