Born in Japan, Takénori Némoto started his musical studies from the age of three (violin and piano) and discovered the French horn at 15 years old whilst studying orchestral direction and composition. After winning a number of prizes for excellence in Tokyo, he arrived in France in 1992 and between 1993 and 1997 received, with honours, performing diplomas for horn playing as well as a diploma in piano teaching at the École Normale de Musique de Paris, before going on to obtain a bachelor degree and postgraduate diploma with honours at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM). He is also a laureate of a number of international competitions for horn-playing, chamber music and composition. In parallel to his career as a horn player with the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle Aquitaine and the Musiciens du Louvre, with whom he has performed all over the world, Takénori Némoto also works as a composer and arranger for various institutions. Founder and conductor of his ensemble Musica Nigella, he is regularly invited to direct other groups such as theb Compagnie Les Brigands, the Orchestre Victor-Hugo Besançon-Franche-Comté and the Orchestre de Bayonne Côte Basque. A respected pedagogue, Takénori Némoto gives masterclasses in conservatoires, universities and cultural centres and presents listeners workshops for wider audiences. Since 2018 he has been a professor at the Bordeaux Regional Conservatoire.