New York City-based flutist Mei Yoshimura Stone first discovered her love of music in animated movie soundtracks; since then, she has been fascinated with storytelling through sound and the messages and memories we can share through music. Committed to collaborating with artists of all genres, Stone has performed alongside Claire Chaseand the International Contemporary Ensemble, Grammy-Award-winning ensemble eighth blackbird, and visual artist Anela Ming-Yue Oh on projects that explore heritage, identity, and community. Stone received her bachelor of music degree on modern flute from The Juilliard School under the instruction of Mr. Jeffrey Khaner, principal flutist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Currently, she is pursuing a master's degree in historical performance on baroque flute at Juilliard and serves as artistic director of the Sound Garden Quintet, whose Seed Sowing Project challenges and redefines the conventions of classical music and brings them to underserved communities across the United States. Outside of music, Mei still loves watching animated movies (her favorite is How to Train Your Dragon), and she also enjoys solo traveling, trying new foods, and running marathons.