Profile

Mai Takematsu started to play harp at the age of nine. In 1991, she won the second prize at the junior division of Nippon Harp Competition and two years after, she became the winner of the same competition. She was also awarded the third prize at the junior section of Concours Internationale de Harpe Lily Laskine in 1996.

Takematsu has worked with Maestro Hiroyuki Iwaki and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, William Bennet (Fl), Orchestre de Chambre Jean-Francoise Paillard, Maestro Gerd Albrecht and Prague Chamber Orchestra, and so on. In 1997, she released her debut CD on Columbia which was highly acclaimed. Since then, Takematsu has recorded six CDs and a DVD. Apart from being a successful concert harpist, she is currently studying at the medical college, pursuing her ambition to become a doctor. She has taken on the position of video jockey of the program "J-Melo" (NHK World TV) since October 2005. She works in English during the whole show.

She was awarded the 8th Idemitsu Music Award in 1998 for her exceptional talent.