Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura has firmly established herself as one of the most sought-after talents of her generation. An ensemble member of the Bayerische Staatsoper, she first shot to prominence as a Jette Parker Young Artist when she stepped in to replace Anna Netrebko as Giulietta I Capuleti e i Montecchi at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Since then she has made notable debuts in Europe, Asia, North and South America and has been capturing worldwide acclaim for her assured singing and artistic intensity.

An alumna of the the Osaka College of Music, she was a member of the Opera Studio at the New National Theatre Tokyo, the Opera Studio Nederland and the Jette Parker Young Artist Programme at the Royal Opera House. During this time, her roles at New National Theatre Tokyo included Susanna Le nozze di Figaro, Ilia Idomeneo, Marzelline Fidelio and Nannetta Falstaff. At Royal Opera House she sang Musetta La bohème, Voice of Heaven Don Carlo, Frasquita Carmen, Fifth Maid Elektra and Lauretta Gianni Schicchi.

In 2009 she reached the finals of both the Song and Orchestra Prizes at the prestigious Cardiff Singer of the World and in summer 2010, upon her graduation from Jette Parker she sang Susanna Le nozze di Figaro under Sir Colin Davis for which she received excellent reviews. Nakamura returned to guest as Sophie Werther under Antonio Pappano, which was recorded by Deutsche Grammophon for commercial release on CD and Liu Turandot released on DVD by Opus Arte.

In September 2010 Nakamura joined the ensemble of the Bayerische Staatsoper. Her roles there have included Susanna, Pamina, Zerlina and Giulietta in a new production under Yves Abel, Arbate Mitridate rei di Ponto, also a new production under Ivor Bolton and Gretel Hänsel und Gretel.

In 2011 she debuted at Deutsche Oper Berlin the role of Liu in Turandot, which became soon after her signature role. She went on to perform it at Bayerische Staatsoper, Opera de Oviedo and Royal Opera House, all to great acclaim. Other recent role debuts include Juliette Roméo et Juliette at the Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, Adina L’elisir d’amore and Xenia in a new production of Boris Godunov, later released on DVD, at Bayerische Staatsoper.

Recent concert engagements include performances with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler Symphony No.4 and Rossini’s Stabat Mater under Yannick Nézet-Séguin with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bruckner Te Deum at the Vatican in Rome, Ravel’s Shéhérazade with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and a recital for the prestigious Rosenblatt Series in London.

Last season she returned to the Royal Opera House as Liù, and made her US debut as Pamina in a new production of Die Zauberföte at Washington National Opera. In Munich she reprised the role of Xenia and sang her first Antonia Les contes d'Hoffmann. On the concert platform she made her debut with Orchestre National de France singing Gounod’s Mass to Santa Cecilia and in Madrid at the Auditorio Nacional with Shostakovich’s Seven Verses by Alexander Blok. Furthermore she performed a series of concerts in her native Japan, including Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with NHK Symphony Orcehstra and a special appereance in NHK’s New Year Concert Gala.

In the 2014/15 season, Eri Nakamura returns to the Royal Opera House for her debut as Gilda Rigoletto, before reprising the role in a new production in Salzburg. Other highlights include Gretel in Munich, Woglinde Das Rheingoldwith the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Liù at the Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse.

Eri Nakamura is represented in Europe by Intermusica and by CAMI in North America.