Kaoru Watanabe, the New York-based composer and musician specializing in Japanese flutes and percussion, has worked with such groundbreaking artists as Laurie Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Yo-Yo Ma, and Jason Moran. Watanabe is best known for his artful merging of traditional Eastern music and theater elements with contemporary Western styles. His newest work INCENSE, developed while isolated during the pandemic, premieres this May, in celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the Atrium. The solo performance features Watanabe live on drums, flute, and vocals, mixed with electronic loops and samples as he explores the dual uses and meanings of the piece’s title—burning and calming, smoldering and healing, provocation and release—as they relate to personal ritual, social conflict and rising above the tumultuous moment.