Takuya Takashima

Takuya Takashima was born in Kushiro, Hokkaido, Japan. He graduated from Hokkaido University of Education, Sapporo. He then pursued further studies at the Sibelius Academy in Finland, where he obtained a Master of Music degree. In 1999, he performed in the Japan Federation of Musicians’ Recommended Newcomer Concert and appeared as a soloist with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra.

He was awarded First Prize at the HIMES (Hokkaido International Music Exchange Foundation) Competition and received scholarships from both the foundation and the Hokkaido Cultural Foundation. As an exchange student from Hokkaido University of Education, he studied at the Sibelius Academy from 2000 to 2001.

In 2000, Takashima won First Prize in the Lahti Wind Instrument Competition in Finland. Upon graduating from Hokkaido University of Education, Sapporo, in 2001, he joined the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and enrolled at the Sibelius Academy. 2000, 2003 and 2004, He participated in the Pacic Music Festival (PMF), where he studied under the baton of esteemed conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Bernard Haitink, Fabio Luisi, and Edo de Waart. From 2005, he served as the Orchestra and Academy Manager for the festival for nine years.

In 2007–2008, he was awarded a scholarship by the City of Turku and spent a year as a resident artist at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France. During his residency, he performed in concert series organised by the institution. In 2018, he received a scholarship from the Pro Musica Foundation in Finland in recognition of his musical achievements.

Takashima has also been actively involved in charitable initiatives, organising and performing in numerous benet concerts, including those in support of earthquake recovery efforts in Sumatra and Japan, as well as aid for refugees from Syria and Iraq.

As a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer, he has performed in
Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Russia, South Korea, Norway, and Japan. As a guest principal oboist, he has played with major Finnish orchestras, including the Finnish National Opera Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tapiola Sinfonietta, and the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also performed with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Joe Hisaishi Future Orchestra Classics.

Takashima has appeared at various Finnish music festivals, including the Crusell Music Festival, the Naantali Music Festival, the Rusk Festival, and the Luosto Classic Festival. Under the supervision of composer Paul Schütze, he recorded an improvised performance for artist Josiah McElheny’s solo exhibition Island Universe, which was later showcased at museums in London, UK, and Madrid, Spain. He has just released his new solo album “Resonance”  (Octavia records, Japan 2025).

Takashima is currently teaching at the Sibelius Academy and the Turku Arts Academy and is the Principal Oboist of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.