ARKAI is an award-winning electroacoustic duo that has inspired audiences around the world through their genre-defying string music. Graduates of The Juilliard School, their past engagements have included performances at The MET, Joe’s Pub, City Winery, US Air Force Academy, Rockwood Music Hall, 54 Below, Lincoln Center, Musikfest, Chateau Marmont, Carnegie Hall and TED. They recently opened for Oscar and Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste at YPO EDGE hosted in NYC's Javits Center.
As creative collaborators, ARKAI was commissioned by the Museum of Chinese in America to compose a work for their exhibition Responses: Asian Americans Resisting the Tides of Racism. Other commissions have included a piece for Silver Lining Ltd’s Impact 5X initiative — a global economic justice project supporting hundreds of small business owners from underserved communities around the world.
Alongside performing, ARKAI creates artistic programs that connect and uplift communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, their initiative SupportNYC has helped raise over $80,000 in monetary support for small businesses and organizations like the MET Orchestra Musicians, Harmony Project, D’Addario Foundation, and Shakespeare Dallas through fundraising performances, spreading hope and healing to communities across the country through the power of the arts. ARKAI was recently honored with the 2021 Robert Sherman Music Education and Community Outreach Award presented by WQXR, The Juilliard School, and The Harold W. McGraw Family Foundation in recognition of their work through SupportNYC.
ARKAI was selected by the U.S. Department of State and the Association of American Voices to participate in the ‘21-22 American Music Abroad season. Through this program, ARKAI has engaged in exchange programs with underserved audiences around the world with little or no access to American music, demonstrating the power of cultural diplomacy as a tool to bring people together.
In collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Jonas W. Karlsson, ARKAI's debut album will be released in 2024. ARKAI is a winner of the 2021 Astral Artists National Competition.
JONATHAN MIRON
Jonathan Miron’s desire to connect with audiences of all cultures has inspired and taken him on an expansive journey to broaden his artistic palate – from collaborating with members of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, to appearing with Tony and Grammy Award winner Ben Platt at Clive Davis’ famed pre-Grammy party, to impromptu jams with Grammy-nominated Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez at NYC’s 92nd Street Y. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Jonathan’s performance career has taken him to acclaimed concert halls around the world – including solo engagements at The Louvre Museum in Paris, Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Jonathan is a NS Design Artist.
PHILIP SHEEGOG
Cellist and producer Philip Sheegog pushes the boundaries of genre with a technical versatility, fearless commitment, and extroverted generosity that have made him sought out on all ends of the musical spectrum. A champion for musical innovation, Sheegog’s distinctive aesthetic draws upon the sonic traditions and technical vocabulary of myriad musical styles, ranging from classical to metal to folk. He has premiered over eighty new works by living composers and collaborated with such disparate groups as the legendary 1970’s Steve Miller Band, members of the GRAMMY-award winning Turtle Island String Quartet, the International Contemporary Ensemble, and the hip-hop/classical collective ShoutHouse. Sheegog holds his degrees from The Juilliard School.
