Ryuko Mizutani studied both classical and modern koto music under the world-renowned koto masters Kazue and the late Tadao Sawai. As a member of the Kazue Sawai Koto Ensemble, she has performed in Europe, South Asia, and the US in festivals of traditional and new music (Bang on a Can, etc.) In 1999 Ryuko received a fellowship from the Japanese Government Overseas Study Program for Artists to study improvisation and new music with Anthony Braxton and Alvin Lucier at Wesleyan University.