profile

A leading Japanese mezzo-soprano based in Europe, she was the first Japanese singer to make her debut at the Bayreuth Festival, where she received acclaim for her nine consecutive years in leading roles such as Fricka, Kundry, Brangäne, Waltraute, and Erda. She has performed at major opera houses around the world, including the New York Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Vienna State Opera, London Royal Opera House, Munich State Opera, and the New National Theatre. She has performed with renowned conductors such as Thielemann, Abbado, Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, Eschenbach, Haitink, and Chailly, and with leading orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. She graduated from the Department of Vocal Music at Tokyo University of the Arts and completed graduate studies at the same university and the Munich University of Music. He has received the Idemitsu Music Award, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists, the ExxonMobil Music Award, the Suntory Music Prize, the Medal with Purple Ribbon, and other awards, and was selected as a Person of Cultural Merit in 2024.