Japan: Eri Nakamura

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and Song Prize competitor

Eri Nakamura studied at the Osaka College of Music for her bachelor's and master's degrees in music before joining the Opera Studio at the New National Theatre,Tokyo in 2002.

She joined the Opera Studio Nederland in Amsterdam in 2006. Principal teachers include Atsu Ueki, Shigeyuki Yui, Brian Masuda and Sergio Bertocchi. Performances included Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Waldvogel for the children's production of The Ring, Ida and cover for Adele (Die Fledermaus), Ilia (Idomeneo), Marzelline (Fidelio) and Nannetta (Falstaff), all for the New National Theatre, Tokyo.

In 2005 she performed in Die Zauberflöte at the Megaron Theatre in Athens, and sang Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia) for Bangkok Opera. In 2007/08 she appeared as Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) for the New National Theatre, Tokyo and performed with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

She is on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and made her ROH debut as Fifth Maid (Elektra), followed by Sandmann Hänsel und Gretel.

She has recently performed Giulietta (I Capuleti e i Montecchi, replacing an indisposed Anna Netrebko), First Witch (Dido and Aeneas), Giannetta (L'elisir d'amore) and understudy Liù (Turandot). She performed Mahler's Fourth Symphony in April with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Eri enjoys shopping, reading and baking.

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009: Final repertoire

• Je veux vivre (Roméo et Juliette) - Gounod
• Eccomi in lieta vesta - Oh! quante volte (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) - Bellini
• Tu che di gel sei cinta (Turandot) - Puccini
• Cäcilie (Songs Op 27 No 2) - Richard Strauss

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize 2009: Final repertoire

• Auch kleine Dinge (Italienisches Liederbuch No 1) - Wolf
• Lebe wohl (Mörike-Lieder Book 3 No 36) - Wolf
• Er ist's (Mörike-Lieder Book 1) - Wolf
• Manjyushage - Kōsaku Yamada
• Allerseelen (Op 10 No 8) - Richard Strauss
• Frühlingsfeier (Op 56 No 5) - Richard Strauss

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2009: concert one repertoire

• Quel guardo il cavaliere ... So anch'io la virtù magica (Don Pasquale) - Donizetti
• Allons! Il le faut! ... Adieu, notre petite table (Manon) - Massenet
• Dieu! quel frisson ... Amour, ranime mon courage (Roméo et Juliette) - Gounod

BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Song Prize 2009: recital four repertoire

• Ganymed (Op 19 No 3) - Schubert
• Gretchen am Spinnrade (Op 2) - Schubert
• Sakura Yokocho - Yoshinao Nakada
• Apparition - Debussy
• Pierrot - Debussy