Tokyo Music Competition
SUNADA Airi
Soprano
Born in: Tokyo, Japan
2nd place, and Audience Award, Voice Section, The 23rd Tokyo Music Competition 2025
Musical Study Experiences
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 (Milan, Italy and Lugano, Switzerland)
Teachers
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.
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 2018 (Japan-Italy Vocal Music Competition, Japan) 3rd Place and the Special Award, the 12th International Opera Competition “Magda Olivero” |
| 2020 | Studied in Milan, 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 (Cinisello Balsamo, Italy) |
| 2023 | 3rd Place, Opera Category, the 92nd Music Competition of Japan |
| 2024 | 3rd Place, 32a Edizione Concorso internazionale “Marco Koliqi” (the 32nd International Competition “Marco Koliqi;” Milan, Italy) 2nd Place, Voice Section, the 22nd Tokyo Music Competition |
| 2025 | 2nd Place, the 4th International Opera Singing Competition “Giuditta Pasta” (Saronno, Italy) “Claudio Desderi” special prize, the 17th Giulio Neri International Opera Singing Competition (Torrita di Siena, Italy) Corporate Special Prize, the 43rd Daegu International Vocal Music Competition 2nd Place and Audience Award, Voice Section, the 23rd Tokyo Music Competition 1st Place, Iwatani Prize (audience award), Masuzawa Prize, and INPEX Prize, Opera Category, the 92nd Music Competition of Japan |
Further Activities
Sunada trained herself abroad at La Scala Academy in 2017 in Milan, Italy, and the Bayerische Staatsoper’s Opera Studio in 2018 in Germany as a recipient of ANA scholarship of the New National Theatre, Tokyo Opera Studio.
In Italy, she made her debut in Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” as Norina at Teatro Comunale di Sassari, followed by the same role at Teatro Comunale Alfonso Rendano in Cosenza.
Her other performances in Italy are as follows:
⁃ “La Bohème” as Musetta at Teatro Carcano in Milan
⁃ “La traviata” as Violetta, “Rigoletto” as Gilda, “Madama Butterfly” as title role at Teatro Sociale di Busto Arsizio in Varese
⁃ “Rigoletto” as Gilda at the Sarzana Opera Festival in La Spezia
In Japan, she made a full-scale debut in “La fille du régiment” as Marie in 2024, and performed in “Gianni Schicchi,” having been chosen as Lauretta in 2025 at the New National Theatre, Tokyo.
Repertoire
Operas
DONIZETTI:
“Don Pasquale” as Norina
“L’elisir d’amore” as Adina
“La fille du régiment” as Marie
“Lucia di Lammermoor” as Lucia
BELLINI: “I Capuleti e I Montecchi” as Giulietta
ROSSINI:
“Il viaggio a Reims” as Madama Cortese
“Il barbiere di Siviglia” as Rosina
VERDI:
“La traviata” as Violetta
“Rigoletto” as Gilda
PUCCINI:
“La Bohème” as Musetta
“Gianni Schicchi” as Lauretta
“Madama Butterfly” as title role
MOZART:
“Die Zauberflöte” as Pamina and Papagena
“Don Giovanni” as Donna Anna
“Così fan tutte” as Fiordiligi
“Le nozze di Figaro” as Susanna and Barbarina
GOUNOD:
“Roméo et Juliette” as Juliette
and more
Other works such as religious music and vocal pieces
MOZART:
Requiem
Krönungsmesse
Great Mass
Exsultate, Jubilate
ROSSINI: Stabat Mater
VIVALDI: Gloria
HAYDN: Missa in honorem Beatissimae Virginis Mariae
Karl JENKINS: Requiem
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No.9