Celebrated Baritone Singer Tasuku Naono Dies at 80

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:46 JST, September 16, 2025

Tasuku Naono, a baritone singer and Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University of the Arts, died on Monday from sepsis. He was 80 years old. The funeral service will be held privately for close family only.

An Ishikawa Prefecture native, he was himself a graduate from the university and made his opera debut following a period of study abroad in Italy.

As a member of a vocalist group called Nikikai, he performed leading roles in numerous Italian operas, including Sharpless in Madame Butterfly. He also taught at both Tokyo University of the Arts and Showa University of Music.