Biography (short version)
A native of Kyoto, Japan, Asako Tamura has appeared with opera companies worldwide. She recently made her debut in London at the Royal Albert Hall in "Madam Butterfly" (Cio-Cio San) to rapturous reviews from the London critics. Ms. Tamura's extensive performance credits include appearances in Lucia di Lammermoor (Lucia) with the Hungarian State Opera (Budapest), Ente Luglio Musicale Trapanese (Sicily), Teatro Lirico di Cagliari (Sardinia), and Opera Constanza (Romania); Verdi’s “I Masnadieri” (Amalia) with the Sarasota Opera (Florida); “La Traviata” (Violetta) with the El Paso Opera (Texas); female leads in Leoni’s “L'Oracolo” and Montemezzi’s “L'Incantesimo” at the Avery Fisher Hall with Teatro Grattacielo (NY); “L'Ottavia” at the Scarlatti Festival in Tokyo; Donatoni’s “Alfred, Alfred” (Arlene) at the Contemporanea Arena di Verona; “Rigoletto” (Gilda) and “Romeo et Juliette” (Juliette) with the Hungarian State Opera ; and Cio-Cio San with the Teatro Solis (Uruguay). Her many appearances in orchestral concerts around the world include The Three Tenors (Domingo, Pavarotti, Carreras) in Yokohama, Japan, the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, L.A. Symphony, Opera Ai Fori Gala Concert Orchestra (Rome), Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Upcoming performances include “La Traviata” (Violetta) with the Kalamazoo Symphony (Michigan) in September and Cio-Cio San at the Sarasota Opera (Florida) in October/November. For more information, see www.asakotamura.com
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国立音楽大学声楽科、東京藝術大学大学院修士課程修了後に渡米、マネス音楽院首席卒業。ディ・ステファノ国際コンクール（伊)１位など世界の主要コンクールで上位入賞。日韓ワールドカップ前夜祭３大テナーコンサートにてドミンゴ、故パヴァロッティ、カレーラスらと共演。世界各地の歌劇場にてオペラの主役を射止め、蝶々夫人をロンドン・ロイヤルアルバートホール、ウルグアイ国立ソリス歌劇場、ボルティモア・リリックオペラ等、ランメルモールのルチアをカリアリ歌劇場(伊)シチリアトラーパニ音楽祭、ハンガリー国立歌劇場、ルーマニア国立歌劇場等で、椿姫をテキサスのエルパソオペラ、ミシガンのカラマズーオペラなど。リンカーンセンター(NY)での主役は辛口で有名なニューヨークタイムズにて「輝くソプラノ」と高い評価を受けた。他に世界各地のオーケストラに招かれゲスト出演。メトロポリタン歌劇場管弦団、BBC交響楽団、ローマ祝祭管弦楽団、LAシンフォニー、シカゴフィル、ハンガリーはブダペスト放送交響楽団、ソルノーク管弦楽団、ミシュコルツ音楽祭など。日本では東京フィル、東京交響、東京都響、東京シティフィル、神奈川フィル、大阪フィル、大阪センチュリー、関西フィル、京都交響、札幌交響、仙台フィル、九州交響楽、等と協演。2015年米国大リーグナショナルズに招聘を受け、対ヤンキースの試合前に外国人歌手として初めてアメリカ国歌斉唱の栄誉を得る。同年リリースのCD「ジュエルズ・オブ・アヴェ・マリア」「ノスタルジア－日本の歌」（ナクソス・ジャパン）の両ディスクはANA国際線オーディオプログラムに搭載された。現在、母校ニューヨーク・マネス音楽院にて教鞭をとる傍ら、独自の社会貢献活動や、各地でマスタークラスなども精力的に行っている。www.asakotamura.com
Biography
Artist Photos
Puccini "Madam Butterfly"
Royal Albert Hall, London
BUTTERFLY STILL
BREAKS OUR HEARTS
GOLIAH Business knowledge on demand
The Mail on Sunday, London,England March 6, 2011
The petite Japanese soprano Asako Tamura is a first-class singing actress: a credible, very Oriental Butterfly in all her teenage gaucheness in Act I, and then, in Western dress, turning up the emotional temperature, so her eventual suicide really shocks.
Puccini "Madam Butterfly"
SINFONICA - Critica Musical by Egon Friedler
September 2008
The second index had as the great star, the impressive ASAKO
TAMURA’ｓButterfly. She displayed a great vocal performance,
and a performance of extraordinarily dramatic intensity. In addition, her grace and natural beauty and her "physique du role" were
other reasons why she was the artist who received the most pla
udits of both indexes.
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In general balance, the second presentation was from my personal op
inion more successful than the first one, due to the undoubted captivation of the protagonist (Asako Tamura) and also because Martin Lebel ́s baton achieved better results.
L'Oracolo L'incantesimo in Teatro Grattacielo
Ｑonstage.com New York’s Performances & Arts Reviews
by Bruce-Michael Gelbert, November 2007
Asako Tamura sang, as scheduled, Ah-Joe's greeting to the sun and plaint after San-Lui's death, to which she brought apt pathos, in a strong, luminous lyric soprano, floating fine piano tone at the end of the invocation and, replacing Aprile Millo, down with a bad cold, as Giselda, joined tenor José Luis Duval, as Rinaldo, for an intense love duet echoing those in "Walküre," "Tristan und Isolde," and "Ariadne auf Naxos
Classics Today By Robert Levine
November 2007
Asako Tamura’s Ah-Yoe was a lovely creation; and she stepped in for Aprile Millo as Giselda. She sang with pure tone and lovely pianissimi.
OPERA TODAY opera new, commentary, and reviews from around the world By John Yohalem, November 2007
….Asako Tamura made a striking impression as Ah-Joe, one of opera’s many delicate oriental maidens with a larynx of steel (Teatro Gratticielo has already presented Mascagni’s Iris)….
I Masnadieri
Sun- Sentinel South Florida By Lawrence A.Johnson
February 2006
The demanding role of Amalia is the largest in the opera, and Asako Tamura's singing was on the first-rate level. The Japanese soprano has the stratospheric range and high notes for a role personally tailored by Verdi for the Swedish songbird Jenny Lind. Tamura displayed flexibility in the coloratura flights, soaring through the ensembles and showing agility in the fireworks at DeRenzi’s very fast tempos.
Wining & Dining By Chip Ludlow
March8, 2006
As Amalia, Asako Tamura, is blessed with a glittering soprano that can easily manage the many trills, unforgiving leaps and ornamentation demanded by the score.
Her voice is supple, clear, accurate and well modulated.
The Observer,BY June le BELL(WQXR)
February 2006
Asako Tamura made a believable Amalia; she sang with a meltingly beautiful pianissimo and the agility of a skilled dramatic coloratura.
I Masnadieri
MUSIC TRUMPS
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM IN "ROBBERS"
Sarasota Herald-Tribune BY RICHARD STORM
February 2006
Amalia, sung beautifully by soprano Asako Tamura, was dazzling in a series of breathtaking arias that are highly decorated, extremely difficult and touching.
Press Review
Lucia di Lammermoor
CELEBRATION
CELEBRATION
CELEBRATION!
MOMUS（Hungary music magazine）
June 2006
--- along with the mexican tenor Ramon Vargas, the Opera House has brought a superb soprano, Asako Tamura, who - and here comes the surprise - is not a colorature soprano!
The lovely japanese lady is a lyric soprano with extraordinary abilities and correct intonations. And it turned out that this role can be sung like this. Besides the perfect intonation she needed an accurate knowledge of the style and the piece itself. Well done!"
--- Tamura's and Vargas' tour has well deserved the standing ovation of the otherwise languorous crowd.
It was celebration, celebration, celebration!"
L'Oracolo L'incantesimo in Teatro Grattacielo
The New York Times By Vivien Schweitzer
November 2007
Substituting for Ms.Millo, who was ill, as Giselda, Asako Tamura sang expressively with a bright soprano.
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as he expressed his love for Ah-Joe, elegantly sung by Ms. Tamura.
The Italian Voice By Nino Pantano
November 2007
Asako Tamura brought a ravishing soprano with impeccable artistry to the role of Ah-Joe. This oracle predicts a great future for her.
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Aprile Millo was scheduled to sing the role of Giselda in this performance but cancelled due to illness.
In her place was Asako Tamura, the Ah-Joe from the previous performance who sang with lustrous power and beauty.
Her vocal soaring soprano flights in this radiant score took this listener to that magic spring garden.
La Traviata
"TRAVIATA"
DOES NOT DISSAPOINT
El paso times By Philip Christiansen, October 2006
The show's success is vitally dependent on the title character; El Paso will fall in love with Asako Tamura's portrayal of this demanding role. Her voice rings into every corner of the hall, and her impassioned singing engages you throughout. Worthy of mention is her final act. With the waitingpitfalls of melodrama, she navigates the performance with a unique earnestness that fully realizes Verdi's most complete heroine.
I Masnadieri
St.Petersburg Times and Opera News By JOHN FLEMING
February 2006
Sarasota Opera’s Asako Tamura gave an arresting performance as Amalia, gracefully managing all of the high warbling when she first appeared in the third scene of Act I. But the song is strangely schizophrenic, obviously written as a virtuosic vehicle for Lind. More authentic and touching was Amalia’s Act II scene before the tomb of her uncle, accompanied by harp. Another highlight came in Act III, with Tamura and Geer’s performance of the gorgeously modulated soprano–tenor duet.
L'OPERA（Italian opera magazine）By Christine Gransier
February 2006
Asako Tamura ha mostrato una grande flessibilita,impressionante delicatezza sulle note acute e senso della linea di canto.
Il suo timbro era caldo e lirico
Opera Actual(divish Web Magazine) By Roger Steiner
February 2006
La Amalia de Asako Tamura mostró una gran flexibilidad vocal, una buena línea de canto y seguridad en los agudos, convirtiendo a su cavatina del segundo acto en el momento más aplaudido de la velada.
Concorso Di Stefano,il concerto dei vintori
L'opera Lugio
May 2003
E delineata con notevole finezza e stata l'Oferia del soprano giapponese Asako Tamura dall'Amleto di Thomas, che ha catturato l'attenzione del pubblico.
Cardiff Singer Of The World 1999
By Graeme Kay
June 1999
…..Her voice is brilliant jewel of the voice……