Tokyo Music Competition
SUNADA Airi
Soprano
Born in: Tokyo, Japan
2nd place, Voice Section, The 22nd Tokyo Music Competition 2024
Musical Study Experiences
March 2009 Graduated from the Vocal Music major, Tokyo College of Music High School with top honors
March 2013 Graduated from the Vocal Music major (Exclusive Study for Vocal Performance), Bachelor of Music, Tokyo College of Music
March 2015 Received a master’s degree from the Vocal Music major, Master of Music, Tokyo College of Music as top student
March 2018 Completed the 18th program at the New National Theatre, Tokyo Opera Studio
2018–2020 Selected as trainee in the Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists FY2020 supported by Agency for Cultural Affairs
Teachers
In Japan, studied vocal music under ADACHI Saori, KAMAHORA Yuko, ICHIKAWA Noriko, NARITA Echiko, and TAKEDA Masao. Studied as korrepetitor under TANIIKE Etsuko, studied English and German diction under MIKAJIRI Tadashi.
In Italy, studied under Luciana SERRA and Nino MACHAIDZE. Studied as korrepetitor under Umberto FINAZZI and Luca GORLA.
Musical Careers
| 2016 | 1st Place and Milan Grand Prize, Milan Grand Prize Division, the 46th Concorso di Lirica Italiana (Italian Vocal Music Competition, Japan) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 3rd Place (Japan-Italy Music Association Award, Yomiuri Shimbun Award) and the Best Singing Award, the 54th Concorso Musicale Vocale dell'Istituto Musicale Italo-Giapponese (Japan-Italy Vocal Music Competition, Japan) 3rd Place and the Special Award, the 12th International Opera Competition “Magda Olivero” |
| 2020 | Studied in Italy until 2022 as a recipient of the 31st Gotoh Memorial Cultural Award 2020 (award for new artists) of the Tokyu Foundation |
| 2021 | Jury President Special Award, selected as Norina in Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” under the Opera Role Category, the 12th “Fausto Ricci” International Competition (Italy) 2nd Place, the 11th “Salvatore Licitra” Opera Competition (Italy) |
| 2023 | 3rd Place, the 2nd International Lyric Competition “Giuditta Pasta” (Italy) 3rd Place, Opera Category, the 92nd Music Competition of Japan |
| 2024 | Selected as Musetta in Puccini’s “La Bohème” under the Roles Section, the 15th International Opera Competition “Magda Olivero” (Italy) 3rd Place, 32a Edizione Concorso internazionale “Marco Koliqi” (the 32nd International Competition “Marco Koliqi”) organized by Rotary Club in Milan, Italy 2nd Place, Voice Section, the 22nd Tokyo Music Competition |
Further Activities
Sunada trained herself abroad at La Scala Academy in Milan, Italy and the Bayerische Staatsoper’s Opera Studio in Germany as a recipient of ANA scholarship of the New National Theatre, Tokyo Opera Studio.
She performed on numerous stages in Japan including:
⁃ the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra’s “Future Concert” in Ebina city in 2020
⁃ Dvořák’s “Rusalka” as the foreign princess at the Osaka Symphony Orchestra’s subscription concert conducted by SHIBATA Maiku in 2023
⁃ “GT Symphonic Concert Vol.5 Opera Gala” of the Gunma Symphony Orchestra conducted by NUMAJIRI Ryusuke in 2023
In Italy, she has appeared at 8 theaters in total for Donzetti’s “Don Pasquale” as Norina, including Teatro Comunale di Sassari in Sardinia and Teatro Comunale Alfonso Rendano in Cosenza, with both of which she made a contract as Prima Cast for 2022 Season.
Her other performances in Italy are as follows and she keeps performing in operas and various concerts:
⁃ Verdi’s “La traviata” as Violetta for the theater’s 130th foundation anniversary in 2021, “Rigoletto” as Gilda in 2022, “Madama Butterfly” as title role in 2024 at Teatro Sociale di Busto Arsizio in Varese
⁃ “Rigoletto” as Gilda at the Sarzana Opera Festival in La Spezia
⁃ “La Bohème” as Musetta at Teatro Carcano in Milan in 2024
Currently, Sunada pursues her career based in both Italy and Japan.
Repertoire
Sunada’s voice type is light-lyric soprano, which embraces the range from lyric expression to precise coloratura and agility.
Opera
Her repertoire covers Italian operas in general especially from bel-canto works to Verdi and Puccini’s. In bel-canto repertoire, she sings Donizetti, Bellini, and Rossini’s works. Regarding Donizetti, her repertoire covers minor works that are rarely performed even in Italy. Other than Verdi and Puccini’s opera works, late Romantic Italian works such as those by Zandonai, Leoncavallo, and Meyerbeer are included.
Other songs and religious works
She is expanding the versatility of her repertoire by singing in bel-canto, which ranges from Italian songs to religious works (in Ecclesiastical Latin if the text is in Latin) to symphonies (Beethoven’s 9th symphony, etc.).
She also challenges with works in other languages, including German if the role’s voice and personality fit her. Recently, she has added French works to her repertoire in earnest, which is growing to Donizetti’s French works and works by Gounod, Massenet, Thomas, and Bizet.