Harpist Kaori Otake’s powerful, radiant performance and vibrant energy of her soaring on majestic wing will reverberate in your heart. Ms Otake has given solo recitals and concerto performances around the world. She has performed the Debussy Danses with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Handel Concerto with the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Ken Hsieh. She has also performed the Mozart Concerto with the Nippon Phil conducted by Kenichiro Kobayashi. She has performed at the EXPO in Aichi, Japan where she was born and was invited to do a solo recital in Osaka, Fukui, Chiba, Tokyo, and Sapporo. Some of her other highlight concerts includes appearances in the World Harp Congress in the Prize Winner Concert in Geneva and Focus on Youth in Tacoma. She was invited as a guest performer at the Carnegie Hall in New York in a harp duo with her sister, Miya Otake, and appeared in several television programs.                                                                                                  
Winner of the International Harp Contest, Ms Otake has won numerous competitions including 1st prize of the Japan International Harp Competition in all divisions including the Professional Division, Advanced Division, and Junior Division. She was the winner of the Indiana University Harp Concerto Competition where she appeared as a soloist with the Concert Orchestra under the guest conductor, Sergiu Comissiona, a former music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She was also awarded the Marilyn Costello Memorial Prize in the USA International Harp Competition.                                                                                                  
She has graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana under Susann McDonald, The Juilliard School in New York under Nancy Allen, and the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under Marilyn Costello. In earlier years, she studied at the Vancouver Academy of Music and the Victoria Conservatory under Taka Kling where she received many prizes and awards from the Conservatory and various music festivals.                          
Ms Otake is the Vice-Chair of Host Committee, World Harp Congress 2011 and Chair of the Master Class Committee. Please visit the website at:       www.worldharpcongress2011.com for more information.                                 
Born in Aichi, Japan, Kaori Otake began studying the harp at the age of five in Japan and moved to Canada at the age of nine to continue her harp studies. She currently is a principle harp instructor at Capilano University and resides in Vancouver, Canada.                                                      www.harpistkaori.com                                                                 www.otakekaori.com