Biography

Described as “unusually vivid” by Opera News, Tokyo native Takaoki Onishi is recognized as one of the most versatile and emerging artists of his generation.

Trained at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship and selected as a member of the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Japanese baritone made his name by winning numerous vocal competitions in New York, including the Gerda Lissner, Lucia Albanese-Puccini, Giulio Gari, and Opera Index International Vocal Competitions—all within the span of two seasons.

Takaoki’s 2024/25 season includes performances as Marcello in La Bohème at Dallas Opera and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Minnesota Opera. He is also known as one of the busiest singers in Japan, with appearances at the New National Theatre Tokyo in Così fan tutte and L’elisir d’amore, frequent collaborations with Bach Collegium Japan with Masaaki Suzuki, and concert engagements with major orchestras such as the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, and Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.

A recent highlight was his portrayal of the title role in Eugene Onegin at the Seiji Ozawa Festival—a revival of Robert Carsen’s production, conducted by Fabio Luisi—where he stepped in as a cover and completed the full run to critical acclaim. Other notable repertoire includes Duke Robert in Iolanta with the Russian National Orchestra under Mikhail Pletnev, Turandot at Houston Grand Opera with Eun Sun Kim, and Un ballo in maschera at the Tokyo Spring Festival conducted by Riccardo Muti.

Takaoki is also highly regarded for his concert work. He has performed Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem under Sebastian Weigle, Carmina Burana and Sibelius’ Kullervo at Carnegie Hall, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Musikverein in Vienna. His orchestral repertoire spans Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Rückert Lieder, Kindertotenlieder, and Das Lied von der Erde, as well as Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem, and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and A Sea Symphony.

His first CD, Dichterliebe, was released in Japan in collaboration with the legendary pianist Michio Kobayashi, a former accompanist of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey, and Ernst Haefliger. The intergenerational collaboration drew significant attention and was praised by critics for its sensitivity and depth.

Takaoki’s artistry and international success have been recognized with numerous awards in Japan, most notably the Award for Fine Arts from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, honoring him as an outstanding emerging artist.