SOPRANO
Aine Hakamatsuka
SOPRANO
"...loads of personality, especially from Ms. Hakamatsuka."
- New York Times
"Hakamatsuka sparkled as Gretel, matching a pearly soprano..."
- Observer
Bio
New York-based Japanese soprano Aine Hakamatsuka is a versatile artist whose vocal flexibility and love for collaborative music-making have led her to a career spanning concert, opera, and choral repertoire.
Aine’s versatility is evident on the concert stage, where she has appeared as a soloist in repertoire ranging from the traditional to the contemporary. This season’s performances reach across the broad spectrum of her experience, from well-known masterpieces of Handel and Bach to the mesmerizing and provocative works of Steve Reich and Huang Ruo. In 2023, she joined the Clarion Choir and The English Concert on their tour performing Handel’s Solomon. She was also recently seen as the soprano soloist singing François Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres in concert at the historic St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. A champion of contemporary music, Aine has performed as a soloist in works by 20th and 21st century composers including David Lang, Katherine Hoover, and Thea Musgrave. Most notably, she was the soloist in the world premiere of Nina Shekhar’s Blush, a ten-minute long piece for soprano and choir that explores the sometimes painful, often beautiful experience of transforming from a girl into a woman.
A deep love of chamber music has inspired Aine to pursue a career that is full of both solo and ensemble singing. In demand as a choral artist, she is on the rosters of the esteemed Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Clarion Choir, and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. She has appeared with Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity, Musica Sacra, the New York Philharmonic, New York Virtuoso Singers, and St. Bartholomew’s Choir, in prestigious venues such as the Barbican, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Met Museum, and many of New York City’s most beloved churches.
Described by the Observer as a “pearly soprano” and by The New York Times as having “loads of personality,” Aine has made a mark performing soubrette and lyric coloratura opera roles including Lucy in The Telephone, Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Madame Silberklang in Der Schauspieldirektor, Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro, and Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, for which she was invited for a repeat performance at the Kennedy Center. When she is not performing, Aine enjoys caring for her two cats Mimi and Momo.