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NAOKO TAKDA
 
Naoko Takada
Marimbist
Biography
Naoko Takada was born in Tokyo, Japan. Her 2004-2005 season started
with Paul Newman's Gala Event where she had a stage with Hollywood
stars Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep, Danny Glover and others. She
appeared as a soloist with many orchestras including Houston Symphony;
China National Symphony Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, SanAngelo
Symphony, DuPage Symphony; Tokyo Symphony Orchestra; Tokyo Chamber
Orchestra; Xalapa Symphony (Mexico).
She had appeared in many mass media including WQXR (NY radio), WGBH
(Boston radio) , LA Japanese radio, RTHK (Hong Kong radio). In 2003,
she had a showcase concert at the Percussive Arts Society
International Convention in Kentucky. In 2004, she appeared as a guest
performer in the Belgium International Marimba Festival. She had
taught masterclasses in Veracruzana del Universidad in Mexico, China
Central Conservatory of Music in China and many universities
throughout the USA along her solo concert tour. In 2002, she was an
instructor of marimba at the Ju Percussion Group's Summer Camp in
Taipei, Taiwan. In 2003, she taught marimba at KOSA International
Workshops and Festival at Vermont, USA. She will be at Nancy Zeltsman
Marimba Festival this summer. Naoko Takada is a Yamaha performing
artist and an endorser of Encore Mallets, Inc. She now resides in Los
Angeles and Tokyo where she works with private students in her spare
time.
She won First Prize in the Young Concert Artist International Audition
and also awarded the Beracasa Foundation Prize. She had a debut at the
Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall, Tokyo, 92nd Street Y in New York, the
Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and the Gardena Museum in Boston. Her
successful recitals were reviewed in many newspapers and magazines.
Her other awards include First Prize in the nationally known Ima Hogg
National Young Artist Competition, the Sorantin Young Artist award
International competition, and the Japan International League of
Artists Competition.
At the age of eight, Naoko began studying marimba with Akiko Suzuki.
Naoko attended Tokyo Metropolitan International High School, majoring
in International Studies. In 1995, she went to Waseda University,
where she majored in Psychology. In 1996, she gave her first solo
marimba recital in Tokyo. In 1996-97, she was selected to be an
exchange student to the United States, and received a full scholarship
to study percussion with Karen Ervin-Pershing at California State
University, Northridge (CSUN). During her time as an exchange student,
she won the CSUN Concerto Competition and the CSUN California Music
Scholarship. She also won the Larrie Londin Memorial Scholarship from
the Percussive Arts Society. In 1997, she officially changed her major
to Music Performance. That year, she won the Music Etude Endowment
from CSUN and the Sigma Alpha Iota (SAI) Best Instrumentalist
Scholarship. She was presented with her award at the SAI Winner's
Recital in California. After her graduation from California State
University Northridge, she earned her MM at Ithaca College under the
instruction of Gordon Stout, an internationally famous marimba player.
She received a scholarship and an assistantship from Ithaca College.
As part of her assistantship at Ithaca, she was given the opportunity
of teaching a percussion course, fulfilling her dream of becoming a
teacher. After completing her MM at Ithaca, Takada studied with Nancy
Zeltsman in Boston.
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