Naoko Takao

Described as “delightfully infectious…stunning” (Fanfare Magazine), and “fluent and limpid” (Washington Post), Japanese pianist Naoko Takao has distinguished herself as a musician of exceptional versatility. She has appeared both as a soloist and chamber musician at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, Weill Recital Hall, Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Chamber Music Series, Lensic Performing Arts Center (Santa Fe), Caramoor, Festival Miami, and Le Domaine Forget (Canada) to name a few.
 
While known for her affinity to works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Rachmaninoff among the traditional repertoire, she is equally sought after as an enthusiastic advocate of newly composed music and has premiered many works to high critical acclaim.
 
Prior to joining the faculty at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami in 2010, where she is currently Associate Professor and Chair of Keyboard Performance, she was a long-time member of the Post Classical Ensemble (Washington, C.D.) and recorded multiple CDs and DVDs with the group. Concurrently, she served as a pianist for the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra on multiple seasons. Her collaboration with the Smithsonian Chamber Players (a long-term affiliation including a GRAMMY® nominated CD) continues to this day in various capacities: performing 4-hand music on period instruments, as a pianist in works such as Schoenberg’s Kammersymphonie or Copland's Appalachian Spring, as a recording session producer, to playing piano or harmonium in Schoenberg’s “Verein” chamber arrangements of Mahler’s symphonic works.