Marimbist Naoko Takada is renowned for her wide range of repertoire, from Bach to Piazzolla. An arranger as well as a performer, Ms. Takada's transcriptions have been published by Studio 4 Music as part of the Naoko Takada Series, which also includes works written for her by composers including Yasutaki Inamori, Paul Fowler, John Anthony Lennon, and Hayato Hirose. Committed to educational outreach, Takada participates in Adventure Concerts, an educational concert series in New York City public schools, run by Midori & Friends. During the 2009-10 season, Ms. Takada performed the Kevin Puts Marimba Concerto with the Youngstown (OH), Great Falls (MT) and West Los Angeles symphonies.

Ms. Takada appeared in her Berlin recital debut at the Konzerthaus, and performs with the Lincoln County Concert Association (NC) and at the Univeristy of Florida. During the 2008-09 season, Ms. Takada appeared as soloist with the Bellevue Philharmonic (WA) and the Pensacola (FL) and Canton (OH) symphonies. She performed in recitals with the North Orange County Community Concerts Association (CA), the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts (MI) and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts.

Ms. Takada released her first CD, Marimba Meets the Classics, produced by Japan Victor Entertainment, Inc. She has appeared as soloist with the Houston, South Dakota, West Shore (MI), Anchorage, Mobile, Fargo-Moorhead (ND), Vallejo (CA), China National, and Xalapa (Mexico) symphonies, the Boise and Louisiana Philharmonics, and the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay (CA).  Ms. Takada has performed at the Belgium International Marimba Festival and in a benefit for Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, where she appeared onstage with such personalities as Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep and Danny Glover. She has appeared at the Patagonia International Percussion Festival in Argentina, the KoSA International Percussion Festival (VT), Nancy Zeltsman's Marimba Festival (WI), and the Yahama Sounds of Summer Drum Camp at Central Washington University.

Ms. Takada won First Prize in the 2002 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and was presented in her New York debut at the 92nd Street Y, sponsored by the Peter Jay Sharp Prize, as well as debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. In May 2004, Ms. Takada performed the New York premiere of YCA composer Kevin Puts' Marimba Concerto with Leonard Slatkin conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's in YCA's Annual Irene Diamond Concert.

Ms. Takada was awarded the S & R Washington Award by the S & R Foundation in 2006, a prize that supports artists who contribute to cultural understanding between the U. S. and Japan. Her other awards include First Prize at the 2002 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg National Young Artist Competition, First Prize at the 2001 Sorantin Young Artists International Competition in Texas, the Marimba Special Prize at the 2001 IBLA Grand Prize International Competition in Italy, and First Prize in the 2000 Japan International League of Artists Competition in Tokyo.

Born in Tokyo, Ms. Takada began marimba lessons at the age of eight. She first appeared as soloist with orchestra at the age of eleven, when she played with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Philharmonic. In Japan, she studied with Akiko Suzuki and Keiko Abe and attended Waseda University, majoring in psychology. Ms. Takada then decided to focus on her marimba studies and entered California State University at Northridge as a student of Karen Ervin-Pershing, where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree. She earned a Master of Music degree from Ithaca College, working with Gordon Stout, and has studied at the Boston Conservatory with Nancy Zeltsman. Ms. Takada is a Yamaha performing artist. Her signature line of mallets is available through Encore Mallets.