Tadaaki Otaka comes from a musical household: his father was a conductor and composer and his mother a pianist. He studied conducting at Toho Gakuen School of Music under the famous professor Hideo Saito (who taught such distinguished conductors as Seiji Ozawa and Hiroshi Wakasugi) and also studied composition, theory, and French Horn. He subsequently studied in Vienna with Professor Hans Swarowsky and Professor Spannagel. While still at Toho Gakuen he was appointed a student of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Symphony Orchestra in 1968 and worked with such conductors as Joseph Keilberth, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Lovro von Matacic, Jean Fournet and Otmar Suitner. In 1970 he graduated from Toho Gakuen and gained second prize in the Min-On Concert Association of Japan Conducting Competition. Soon after, he achieved great success conducting the Toho Gakuen String Orchestra in many European cities.

Now one of Japan’s leading conductors, his wide-ranging activities include concert, opera, radio and television and also premieres of works by such distinguished composers as Teizo Matsumura, Toru Takemitsu and Akira Miyoshi. He made his professional broadcasting debut in 1971 with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and was for 20 years Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, during which time he toured extensively with them in the Far East and Europe, becoming their Conductor Laureate in 1991. Between 1981 and 1986 he was Chief Conductor of the Sapporo Symphony and in May 1998 became their Music Adviser and Principal Conductor. Principal Conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra between 1992 and 1998, his recordings with them include notable symphonic and operatic releases and, in his final season, he led their extensive and well-received European tour.

He made his North American debut in 1985 (American Symphony Orchestra) and in 1987 became Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, making his BBC Proms debut with them the following year. London's Sunday Times wrote: "In his years with the orchestra Otaka has worked wonders in Wales". His many appearances with them have included tours to Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Russia and the Orchestra's first-ever Japanese and North American visits. Appointed BBC NOW's Conductor Laureate in 1996, he continues to make frequent appearances with them. He is currently Music Adviser and Principal Conductor of the Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo, which he founded in 1995 and swiftly established as among Japan’s best chamber ensembles - its first European tour in 2000 garnered excellent reviews from The Netherlands and Austria. In September 2003 he was made Honorary Conductor Laureate of this orchestra. For three years (until 2001) he was Director of the Britten-Pears Orchestra, conducting a variety of projects including a fully-staged Cosi fan Tutte.

His extensive guest conducting has included many visits to Australia, the Far East, Europe and North America, with the orchestras of such cities as Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Oregon, Lille, Strasbourg, Bamberg, Helsinki, Oslo, The Hague and Rotterdam. He is a well-known figure in the UK, through his work with BBC NOW, his many Proms appearances and engagements with such orchestras as City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony, BBC Symphony, London Symphony and London Philharmonic.

Recent seasons have included Rotterdam Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Strasbourg Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, NYO and a number of other UK orchestras. In 2001/2002 he made his Oslo Philharmonic debut and conducted the Sapporo Symphony’s 40th anniversary UK tour, whilst the 2002/2003 season included Singapore Symphony, a major Japanese tour with NHK Symphony and returns to the London Philharmonic (International Series), City of Birmingham Symphony and Bournemouth Symphony. In 2003/2004 he visited the Bergen Symphony, Ulster Orchestra and Warsaw Philharmonic whilst engagements in 2004/5 included London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, CBSO and NYO and debuts with the Netherlands Philharmonic and English Chamber Orchestra. The current season includes returns to Bournemouth Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as a European tour with the Kioi Sinfonietta and his regular BBC NOW and Japanese commitments.

With BBC NOW, he has made many excellent recordings for Nimbus and also a number of discs for BIS (Firsova, Denisov, Gubaidulina and Takemitsu) and Chandos (Franck). He recorded Britten’s Peter Grimes in 1998 with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and a cast led by Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Josephine Barstow. Further releases are planned with BBC NOW and Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo.

Tadaaki Otaka is a recipient of the prestigious Suntory Music Award, given each year to the most impressive individual Japanese musician or ensemble. In 1993 the Welsh College of Music and Drama conferred an Honorary Fellowship on him and he also holds an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Wales. In 1997, he was awarded the CBE, in recognition of his outstanding contribution over many years to British musical life, and in November 2000 was awarded the Elgar Medal by the Elgar Society to mark a compelling record of conducting the composer’s works overseas.