Japanese-American flutist Ay Kawasaki has had a growing love for classical music since her performance of the Chaminade Concertino with the Central Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra in 2014, which solidified her love for the genre, and pushed her to pursue flute performance as a career. She has a diverse background in ensemble repertoire, winning principal roles in orchestral, operatic, contemporary and wind ensembles. Kawasaki currently studies with Demarre McGill at the University of Cincinnati-- College Conservatory of Music, and piccolo with Dr. Heather Verbeck. She received her Bachelor of Music at the Schulich School of Music in Montréal, studying primarily with Carolyn Christie, as well as with Albert Brower, Jocelyne Roy, and baroque flute specialist, Mika Putterman. Kawasaki has played in masterclasses for world renowned flutists and teachers, with the most recent including Linda Chesis, Walter Auer, Emmanuel Pahud, and Julien Beaudiment. 

With a deep interest in expanding performance of marginalized and underrepresented composers, Kawasaki is currently working with her colleagues in starting an ensemble program, which hopes to start performing in 2023, on top of  joining boards to discuss how we can better represent the community. As an Asian-American woman, Kawasaki hopes to continue expanding the classical music world into a more safe space for marginalized communities.