The bass baritone Yoshiaki Kimura comes from Okayama, Japan. He studied singing at the Tokyo University of the Arts from 2000 to 2007 and graduated with a "Bachelor Gesang" as well as "Master Oper".

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In 2007 he moved to Germany, where he studied for two years at the opera school, the University of Music in Karlsruhe.In 2011 he completed his studies with the "Diploma of Music Arts", received first prize and distinction in the soloist course of the Coservatoire National in Toulon / France with Prof. Udo Reinemann and then completed the master class for singing at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Belgium .

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As a scholarship holder of the “Gotoh Memorial Cultural Foundation”, he studied "Master Lied" at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart with Prof. Cornelis Witthoefft, where he graduated with the highest distinction. Also receiving a scholarship from the “Rohm Music Foundation”, he studied "Konzertexamen" at the University of Music in Trossingen with Prof. Andreas Reibenspies, where he graduated with the highest distinction.

He has received further grants from the Belgian “Robus Foundation”, as well as from the Japanese “Nomura Cultural Foundation” and the “Moritani Scholarship Foundation”.

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In 2011 he made his European debut at the Bamberg Summer Festival, a biennial audition for young opera singers in Germany, where he was selected from 380 applicants for the title role of “FIGARO" in “LE NOZZE DI FIGARO” at the Bamberg Opera House. In 2013 he was awarded the “Gotoh Memorial Culture Prize”, the “Opera Singer Prize” and the “Fukutake Culture Prize” in Japan.

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In 2014 he was cast again for the role of “FIGARO” in “LE NOZZE DI FIGARO” at the Mannheim Opera House / Germany, where he was named by the local press as “... the best cast, brilliant, with a wonderfully confident singing voice and beautiful pronunciation ...” 

He was a finalist at the 21st Josep Mirabent I Magrans International Singing Competition in Barcelona, Spain, and won the “Grand Prix” at the 14th Okayama Art and Culture Awards.
He received numerous awards, including “first prize” at the 1st Japanese Song Competition and “first prize” as well as the “Sakura Grand Prix” at the 11th Sakurapia Song Competition. In 2014 he won “first prize” at the 24th Yuai International Song Competition as well as the audience award, received the “Matsukata Hall Music Prize”, the “Okayama Art Prize” and was most recently awarded the “Kurashiki Culture Prize”. In 2017 he was awarded the “Marusen Foundation Culture Prize” and he was last awarded the “Mitsubishijisho Prize” in 2021.

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In the 2011/12 season he is an intern at the Flanders Operastudio in Belgium, where he sang the roles of “DULCAMARA” in Donizetti's “L´ELISIR D´AMORE” and “TARQUINIUS” in B. Britten's “THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA”.

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Since the 2014/15 season he has been engaged as a soloist at the Bielefeld Theater. Among other things, he played the “SPRECHER” in Mozart's “ZAUBERFLÖTE”, the “BLANSAC” in Rossini's “LA SCALA DI SETA”, the “BANQUO” in Verdi's “MACBETH” and was chosen for the main role of “HOWARD” in David Little's “DOG DAYS”, a contemporary opera that was very well received by the media. He was also heard as “DULCAMARA” in Donizetti's “L´ELISIR D´AMORE”, as “CASPER” in Weber's “DER FREISCHÜTZ” and as “ALBERICH” in Wagner's “DAS RHEINGOLD”. Recently he was seen again in the title role of “FIGARO”  in “LE NOZZE DI FIGARO” and “CÙPIDO” in Offenbach's “ORPHEUS IN DER UNWELT” and in the leading role of “MEPHISTOPHELES” in Gounod's “FAUST”.

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In the upcoming season 2022/2023 he will be seen at Theater Bielefeld as "OSMIN" in Mozart's "DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL", as "KLINGSOL" in Richard Wagner's "PPARSIFAL" and as "DUCLOU" in Ruggero Leoncavallo's "ZAZÀ".

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Outside the theater, he sang the German and Japanese national anthems as the representative of the Japanese Consulate General in Frankfurt in 2018 during the celebrations for the Japanese Emperor’s birthday.

In 2004 he founded the “Gift Music Company” with a group of young musicians in Japan and has given 18 successful concerts in Japan, reported on by the Asahi Newspaper and other media.

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In 2018 he was interviewed exclusively by Yomiuri TV and his life at the theater was featured on the show.
 

With his doctoral thesis, Yoshiaki Kimura earned his doctorate from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2021, with the highest distinction.

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