Short answers, pulled from the story.
Kumi Tanioka is a Japanese composer and pianist born in Hiroshima in 1974. She is best known for composing the soundtracks to the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series, and also contributed to Final Fantasy XI alongside Naoshi Mizuta and Nobuo Uematsu.
Tanioka joined Square as a composer in 1998 after graduating from Kobe University. She announced her departure from Square Enix on the 28th of February 2010, going on to found her own company, Riquismo, in August 2012.
Tanioka based the Crystal Chronicles soundtrack on what she called "ancient instruments" and "world music". She used medieval and renaissance instruments including the recorder, the crumhorn, and the lute, following the compositional practices of medieval music to create a rustic, cross-cultural sound.
The Star Onions is a band formed from Square Enix composers that arranges and performs Final Fantasy XI music. Tanioka joined during the Final Fantasy XI project in 2002 and has performed with the group at events including VanaCon in 2011. The group has released two albums.
"Morning Sky" from the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles soundtrack was performed on the 26th of November 2006 at the first Games in Concert event in Utrecht, Netherlands. Floor Jansen of the band After Forever performed it with the Metropole Orchestra.
Tanioka has said she became a freelance composer because she wanted to write music for a wider variety of subjects. She announced her departure on the 28th of February 2010 and later founded her independent company Riquismo in August 2012.