Gaduated from Fukuoka Jogakuin Senior High School (Faculty of Music). While there, she won the first prize in the All Japan Student of Music Competition sponsored by Mainichi Newspapes and NHK.
She studied opera at the Faculty of Music of Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music as well as its Graduate School. She sang the leading role in Mascagni’s “Lodoletta” and in Mozart’s “La finta semplice” for Geidai University Opera, and completed her doctorial course in 1974, after having studied under Professors Nobuyuki Ito, Fumiko Okuma, Chieko Okuda and Shigeo Harada. A scholarship (DAAD) awarded by the Federal German Government enabled Keiko Hibi to continue her studies from 1975 to 1978 at the Stuttgart Conservatoire, at which she became the top graduate. She studied vocal music with Professor Sylvia Geszty, lieder interpretation with Prof. Konrad Richter, and German diction with Prof. Ulta Kutter. She also studied opera at the Conservatoire, and recorded lieder for broadcasting companies in Stuttgart, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich and elsewhere.
In 1978, Hibi sang with the Hymnis Choir at music festival held in the castle of Ludwigsburg, where she also performed in Haydn’s “Il mondo della luna”. She made a large number of appearances in church concerts and a recital of German lieder in Munich, 1981. In 1977, she won the second prize (no first prize) at the Maria Canals International Music Competition in Barcelona. She won the first prize the Mendelssohn Competition in Berlin and the third prize (no first prize) at the Munich International Music Competition in 1978.
As a lyric soprano, she signed an exclusive contract with the Bayerische Gärtnerplatz Theater in Munich, where she worked from 1978 to the autum of 1981, making many appearances in such lyric roles as Micaela, Paamina, Gretel and Anchen. She also performed in operetta, for example as Mi in “Das Land des Lächens”.
After a period of study with Doctress Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in 1981, she returned to Japan in that same year. She achieved popularity for her interpretation of Gretel in Niki-kai Opera Foundation’s perfomance of Humperdinck’s “Hänsel and Gretel”, a role which she first sang at her debut in Munich, and has continued to perform over a period of more than 10 years.
NHK, and has been active as a soloist in oratorios such as Händel’s “Messiah”, Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio”, in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Brahms “German Requiem”, and Mahler’s Symphonies Nos.2, 4 and 8. Her eighth ricitals in Japan have won her wide popularity. In 1983, she sang at the concert given during the opening ceremony for the United Nations Special Assembly Disarmament Conference in New York, took part in the Kiso Music Festival in 1987, and sang in the 1989 Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy & Festival.
Her records “The Song I love”, “Deutsche Romantische Lieder”, “Flower Message” and “My Favorite Songs” (Camerata Tokyo) became very populer. Hibi was a member of Niki-kai Opera Foundation, a Professor at Toho Conservatory of Music, and lectures at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
Since 2008 lectured on “Physical foundation of singing” together with Prof. Peter Grünberg (2007 Nobel prize in physics) in German, Canada, Seoul, China and Japan.
Also she tought as guest professor pronunciation and singing at Nanjing University of Post and Telecomminications in China.
She passed away in June 12, 2020. |
