Kazuko Nakano (Mezzo-soprano)

Born: Japan

The Japanese mezzo-soprano, Kazuko Nakano, startet with piano lessons at the age of 5. 10 years later singing lessons followed. She is also a Music Science major from Iwate State University. From 1997 to 2000 she studied music and music pedagogy at Japan's leading university the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music with Professor Hiroko Kimura from the singing department. From 2001 to 2004 she studied in Switzerland at the Academy of Music in Basel in Verena Schweizer's concert class (concert diploma, June 2004). As a Baroque music major she completed her education at the academy's ancient music department Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Ulrich Messthaler. She graduated with honours in 2007. Among her teachers are so well known specialists such as Ulrich Messthaler, Ingeborg Danz, Andreas Scholl, Evelyn Tubb, Kathleen Dineen, Verena Schweizer, Bjoern Waag, Elisabeth Glauser, Joyce McLean, Kurt Widmer, Peter Kooy, Kathrin Graf, Helmut Kretschmar, Naoko Ihara, Hiroko Kimura and Masatoshi Sasaki.

Kazuko Nakano has been quite busy with her career within Japan as well as within Europe, since. Under the direction of Michio Kobayashi and Masatoshi Sasaki she performed most of J.S. Bach's cantatas in Japan. In 1997 she sang J.S. Bach's motets and L.v. Beethoven's 9^th Symphony with the Bach Collegium Japan under Masaaki Suzuki. 2003 followed the very same symphony with the Münchner Philharmoniker under Gernot Schmalfuss. 2005 she sang J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) and George Frideric Handel's Messiah with the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and Gernot Schmalfuss, again. With cantus firmus, one of Switzerland's leading orchestra on period instruments under Andreas Reize, she perfomed J.S. Bach's Mass in B minor (BWV 232) (2008). Andrea Marcon hired her as "Messaggiera" for Monteverdi's Orfeo at the Theater of Basel, this year as well.

Kazuko Nakano is a member of the Mozart-Ensemble Luzern, and the Basler Vokalsolisten, the Schweizer Kammerchor, the Morioka Bach-Kantaten-Verein, the Gruppe Baechlein and The Japan Association for Research in Singing. She played chamber music with Stephan Schmidt, Jan Schultsz and Michio Kobayashi. Since spring 2008 she has taught singing at the Iwate State University.

Kazuko Nakano has participated in several radio and CD recordings with, e.g. among others, Musica Fiorita (E.-C. Jacquet: Cephale et Procris, 2005) the "Basler Vokalsolisten" (Froehlich: Misere und Motetten, 2006).

Source: Kazuko Nakano Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (Octoberr 2011)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Helmut Winschermann

Alto

BWV 245

Links to other Sites

Kazuko Nakano - mezzosoprano (Official Website) [German/English/Japanese]