Julian Tanaka is an alumnus of the Las Vegas Academy of Performing and Visual Arts and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He completed his B.M. in Jazz Arranging in 2013. At UNLV, Tanaka studied clarinet with Marina Sturm and jazz arranging with Joe Lano. In 2016, under the tutelage of Bill Dobbins, he received his M.M. in Jazz Writing from the Eastman School of Music. While there, he studied saxophone with Charles Pillow.

Tanaka's work as a woodwind specialist has included the 2012-13 international tour of the Broadway hit musical, Come Fly Away; a 2013-14 residency with Grammy award winning R&B group, Boyz II Men, at the Mirage Hotel and Casino; and, most recently, a full-time position with BAZ at The Palazzo. As a composer, Tanaka has completed commissions for the UNLV Wind Orchestra, LVA Jazz III, Hamilton High School Jazz Ensemble A (Los Angeles), and Penfield High School Studio Orchestra (Western New York). He currently teaches jazz at UNLV and at the Nevada School of the Arts.