Akiko Nakajima

Winning first prize in the Australian Singing Competition in 1990 marked the beginning of an international career for the Japanese soprano, Akiko Nakajima. In quick succession there followed her debut with Opera Australia in La Clemenza di Tito under Christopher Hogwood and her European debut at the Teatro di San Carlo di Napoli as Musetta in La Bohème. She made her Austrian debut in the title role of Händel’s Alcina for Innsbruck’s Festwochen der Alten Musik – a production that received the European Broadcasting Union Award.

Her triumph as Lucia di Lammermoor at the Staatstheater Darmstadt led her to the nomination in category of best new generation singer of the year by Opernwelt magazine. Ms. Nakajima made her debut at the Vienna Volksoper in 1999 as Sonja in Der Zarewitsch, and continues to perform leading roles in both Europe and Japan. In 2014 she also made a name for herself as artistic leader for the “Mozarthaus in Japan 2014” Festival in Tokyo, and in 2016 the first overseas performance of her stage production, Mugen Noh – Pierrot Lunaire, at Sion Festival in Switzerland was received with great success. Ms. Nakajima’s solo recordings include La Pastorella, Female Portraits and Wien, Stadt meiner Träume which was recorded in Musikverein by the Viennese label, Gramola.

Currently she is the general director of Noura Opera Foundation in Gunma Japan, and music director of Österreichisch-Japanische Gesellschaft in Vienna. She is a professor in the faculty of Performing Arts – “Voice and Opera” at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna (MUK) since 2017.