Summer Kodama

Bass
Notes with a Purpose Teaching Artist

Summer Kodama is a Japanese-American bassist, composer, producer, and multidisciplinary artist whose work centers on connection, creativity, and collaborative storytelling. A full-time performing, recording, and touring musician since 2021, she has appeared with artists and productions including Postmodern Jukebox, Il Divo, Ada Lea, and Disneyland, and performs regularly at premier Las Vegas venues including the Wynn, Bellagio, and Fontainebleau. She holds degrees from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (B.M., Jazz Performance) and the University of Montreal (M.M, Jazz Performance and Composition), where she studied on full scholarship. 

In addition to performance and creative production, she has a passion for creating sustainable support systems for underrepresented artists. Summer’s recent creative efforts include composing and performing the music for ReWritten, a dance-theatre production created by queer artists; creating the Access Artists Mentorship Program for underrepresented artists; and co-producing digital content for Arcade Bops (video game music). Her honors include the 2024 Mutual Mentorships for Musicians, a 2022 New Jazz Legacy Award semifinalist recognition, and a DownBeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Composition.