is a Japanese

sopranist A sopranist (also, sopranista or male soprano) is a male singer who is able to sing in the vocal tessitura of a soprano usually through the use of falsetto or head voice vocal production. This voice type is a specific kind of countertenor. In rar ...

Career

Tomotaka Okamoto was born December 3, 1976 in Sukumo, Japan, and graduated from the

Kunitachi College of Music The is a private music conservatory in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1926 as the Tokyo Conservatory of Music, Kunitachi now offers study programs in performance, music education, composition, computer music, and musicology, for bach ...

. He also graduated from the Conservatoire Francis Poulenc with a first place award. His debut album ''Sopranista'' charted for 17 weeks on the Oricon Albums Chart, peaking at number 100. He makes frequent guest appearances on national television. In 2015, Okamoto was invited to the annual touring ice show

Fantasy on Ice is an annual touring ice show in Japan produced by CIC Co., Ltd. The show emerged from the "Philippe Candeloro Japan Tour 2001", named after retired French figure skater Philippe Candeloro, and was held under the name "Fantasy on Ice" the followi ...

Kanazawa is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Overview Cityscape ...

and

Shizuoka Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...

. He performed live in collaboration with different

figure skaters Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...

to the aria "

Nessun dorma "" (; English: "Let no one sleep") is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera ''Turandot'' (text by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni) and one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, (the unknown prince), ...

", the hymn "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

" and " Time to say goodbye" in a duet with singer Sarah Àlainn amongst others. At the

closing ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

of the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

, Okamoto gave a committed and dramatic solo rendition of the

Olympic hymn The Olympic Hymn ( el, Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος, ), also known as the Olympic Anthem, is a choral cantata by opera composer Spyridon Samaras (1861–1917), with lyrics by Greek poet Kostis Palamas. Both poet and composer were the choice of ...

Style

He is a “ sopranista”, a male who has a female soprano vocal range voice. He often dresses in a unique manner when he performs. His repertory is various; he sings castrato (Farinelli) compositions not only in opera, but also Japanese classics, crossover favorites, and pop ballads. He collaborates with Japanese orchestras and artists and also overseas orchestras, such as the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony, the

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internationall ...

and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, such as the . He has also given solo concerts with piano accompaniment in various parts of Japan.

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okamoto, Tomotaka 1976 births Living people Sopranists Musicians from Kōchi Prefecture Fantasy on Ice guest artists 21st-century Japanese singers 21st-century Japanese male singers