Noriko Kawamura
International Vocal Pedagogue / Chairperson of the Basel International Online Music Competition
Representative Director of Supraleitung Methode Japan
Born in Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture, Noriko Kawamura studied vocal performance at Tokyo College of Music and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Music (Vocal Department). She also completed the 53rd training program at Tokyo Nikikai Opera Foundation.
Before moving to Germany, she appeared in numerous opera productions and concerts throughout Japan. In 2014, her talent for the German repertoire was recognized by world-renowned conductor Jun Märkl, who recommended her to study in Germany. In 2016, on the recommendation of the celebrated Heldentenor KS Siegfried Jerusalem, she was awarded a Wagner Scholarship and made her European debut at the Bayreuth Festival.
In 2017, with support from the Falkenstein Arts Foundation, she collaborated with pianist Dr. Costin Filipoiu, presenting a Liederabend (Evening of Art Songs). She performed at the Herbstmusiktage Bad Urach Festival (2018) and at the ICon Arts Festival in Sibiu, Romania (2019). The European press praised her artistry as “a captivating mezzo-soprano with overwhelming emotion and persuasiveness” and “a masterful interpreter of human emotions with nuance and irony.”
Her major operatic roles include Carmen (title role), Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Erda (Das Rheingold), and Waltraute (Götterdämmerung). She has also appeared as alto soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with organizations including International Christian University (ICU) and in her hometown Kasugai.
During her studies in Europe, she focused on vocal pedagogy and attended masterclasses with KS Siegfried Jerusalem, KS Brigitte Fassbaender, KS Christa Ludwig, KS Renate Behle, KS Charlotte Lehmann, and KS Vesselina Kasarova, among others, also appearing in their final concerts. She studied the German repertoire under Siegfried Jerusalem, Donna Morein, conductor Mathias Husmann, répétiteur Oresta Cybriwsky, and Kathleen Bird.
In 2018, she relocated to Basel, Switzerland, where she studied under Edit Siegfried-Szabo, a leading authority on vocal science, obtaining a license in the Swiss vocal method. She was formally appointed as a certified teacher of the Supraleitung Methode. Since then, she has been highly regarded as a pedagogue, producing prize-winning international competition laureates and successful applicants to leading conservatories abroad. Together with Dr. Filipoiu, she gave her first recitals in Japan (Obu and Konan, Aichi Prefecture), also serving as interpreter for piano and vocal masterclasses.
She has served as jury member for international competitions including the 15th Romanian International Music Competition (2019) and the Bel Canto International Vocal Competition in Ueckermünde, Germany (2021, 2022), receiving the Outstanding Teacher Award for two consecutive years.
In 2020, she founded Supraleitung Methode Japan, a general incorporated association dedicated to the research and promotion of the Swiss vocal method, and launched the Basel International Vocal Competition. In 2021, the project was awarded support from the Sakae Stuenzi Fund of the Swiss Embassy, and her online competition initiatives were featured in the Chunichi Shimbun.
In 2022, she coordinated and interpreted for the world-renowned mezzo-soprano KS Vesselina Kasarova at her masterclass at Nagoya University of Music. In 2023, she successfully hosted Kasarova again, receiving significant acclaim as organizer and interpreter.
That same year, she expanded the Basel International Online Music Competition to include piano, violin, harp, and flute divisions, which now attracts participants from over 30 countries worldwide.
In 2024, she invited Italian soprano Capucine Chiaudani to Tokyo for an international vocal masterclass, which drew over 200,000 online views and wide recognition.
She continues to earn deep trust from musicians across Europe and is actively engaged in vocal pedagogy, international artist exchanges, and the organization of global competitions. By bringing world-class musicians to Japan and supporting the development of young talents, she contributes significantly to the growth of the Japanese music scene.
Selected Guest Artists (Invited to Japan by Kawamura)
• Dr. Costin Filipoiu (Pianist / Lecturer, University of Music Nuremberg) – 2018, 2024
• Ioana Cristina Goicea (Violinist / Professor, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna) – 2024
• Ma Yong (Flutist / Jury Member, Tchaikovsky International Competition; Professor, Shanghai Conservatory of Music) – 2023
• KS Vesselina Kasarova (Mezzo-soprano / Professor, Seoul National University) – 2022, 2023
• Capucine Chiaudani (Opera Singer / Professor, Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences, Zürich) – 2024
• Dior Violin (Violinist, Singapore) – 2025
• Miju Kim (Soprano, Korea) – 2025
• Zheng Zhou (Bass-baritone / Professor, Shanghai Conservatory of Music) – 2025
• Prof. Susanne Kelling (Professor, University of Music Nuremberg) – planned 2026
• Prof. Qilian Chen (Professor, Shanghai Conservatory of Music) – planned 2026
• Miju Kim (Soprano, Korea) – planned 2026
• Joseph Kristanto Pantioso (Baritone, Indonesia) – planned 2026
• Prof. Yijie Shi (China) – Tenor, Professor & Vice Dean at Hunan Normal University, Specially Appointed Professor at China Conservatory of Music, Adjunct Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), and Specially Appointed Professor at Toho College of Music – planned 2026