Ms. Tadano moved to Melbourne in 2004, after her treatment of cervical cancer, which drastically changed her idea of life. Ms. Tadano had been wanting to live overseas and decided to leave her corporate job in Japan and come to Australia.
She wasn't actively playing shamisen at that time. However, she brought it with her to Melbourne. It started from playing it for school kids and to busking, and eventually performing on a national TV show 'Australia's Got Talent' in 2014. The duo, George & Noriko were selected as one of the finalists.
Ms. Tadano performed at this year's OzAsia Festival and will be on stage for a pop culture festival Anime GO! for the first time this weekend. She will also make an appearance on stage at Japanaroo - A festive season concert in Sydney on the 17th of December.
Ms. Tadano's playing style is a mixture of years of traditional training in Japan and all influences and input she received in Australia - She calls it 'Noriko style'.
Working on a one-person show during lockdown
After having a son in 2014, Ms. Tadano found a new identity as a sensitive Japanese mother. That eventually led her to develop a one-person play with a focus on womanism, during lockdown. The play is called Yasha's Lullaby. It was performed as part of OzAsia ,and Ms. Tadano hopes that she can perform it in Sydney and Melbourne sometime next year.
