World-renowned marimba soloist and Yamaha Performing Artist Naoko Takada has made her mark on the global stage, performing in prestigious venues such as Konzerthaus in Berlin, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center in New York City.
Her extraordinary talent became apparent at the age of 11 when she dazzled audiences as a guest soloist with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. Since then, she has collaborated with esteemed orchestras, including the China National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Houston Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, and the Xalapa Symphony in Mexico. In 2004, she commanded attention at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Gala, a star-studded Hollywood fundraising event hosted by Paul Newman, alongside notable guests like Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep, and Danny Glover.
After a concert at The Kennedy Center, The Washington Post declared, “Naoko Takada plays a marimba, moving with speed, grace, and extraordinary accuracy…like a practitioner of some as-yet-undefined martial art, wielding two mallets in each hand and then plunging them down with fierce exactitude in the instrument’s solar plexus.”
In 2007, Takada signed with Victor Entertainment and released her first solo album, Marimba Meets the Classics. CD Baby praised her work, stating, “Naoko’s gift for this instrument comes through in both her exquisite and delicate touch as well as the excitement that she pours into each piece.”
Takada won the S&R Washington Award in 2008, recognizing artists who advance cultural understanding between the U.S. and Japan. She previously claimed first prize in several prestigious competitions, including the Young Concert Artists International Audition, the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg National Young Artist Competition, the Sorantin International Young Artist Competition, and the Japan International League of Artists Competition.
Born and raised in Japan, Takada studied marimba with renowned instructors Akiko Suzuki and Keiko Abe. She then moved to the United States to study under Karen Ervin Pershing at California State University, Northridge, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in music. She later obtained a Master of Music from Ithaca College, working with Gordon Stout, and also studied with Nancy Zeltsman.
As the chief judge for the Southern California International Marimba Competition and an adjudicator for various international competitions, Takada asserts her influence in the field. Alongside her status as a Yamaha Performing Artist, she offers her own signature series of mallets through Encore Mallets, Inc. Her compositions and arrangements are available through Studio 4 Publications and Musicon Publications. Committed to her craft, she balances her solo concert tours and masterclasses with educational outreach programs such as Midori & Friends in New York City, empowering the next generation of musicians.