About the Artist
Naomi Onda, concert pianist, passed the special music theory class at Osaka College of Music when she was in the first grade of elementary school, and mastered all music theory just four years later. She joined the special ear training team at Miyagi Gakuin University in Sendai when she was in high school, and received special intensive training. Naomi continued her music education and graduated from Osaka University of Arts, obtaining a master's degree. Her awards and honors are numerous, and include winning the Sakai City New Face Philharmonic Award. While in Japan, she performed often as a piano duo.
Naomi moved to the United States in 2004. She used her special skill of improvisation to play jazz, pop, and classical music, and was active as a professional accompanist for Broadway casting auditions in New York City. In 2009, her original CD "From Manhattan" was sold nationwide.
Her concerts are extensive. In 2016, she gave a solo piano concert of "Gershwin’s, Rhapsody in Blue." In 2018, she did a piano and violin duo concert "An Evening of Francis Poulenc." In 2019, she performed in a piano, violin, and clarinet ensemble concert "L'Histoire du soldat Igor Stravinsky.” Recently, in 2024, she formed the vocal group WAONY and just starting live performances at Christ Church in Greenwich.
She is currently an accompanist for The National Competition and for elementary and middle schools in Connecticut. She teaches children at her own piano school at Riverside School of Music. Naomi's special program has attracted a lot of attention in Connecticut and has quit a following.
She won international teaching honors in 2023, for her student Shuya van Dooijeweert, who won first place at the 2023 IPPA Conero International Piano Festival & Competition winning a spot to perform in Italy for the final round in which Naomi traveled and presented her student.
Finally, in May 2024, she performed at Lincoln Center The Library of the Performing arts.