A second-generation settler, Taka resides and works on the unceded, traditional lands of the Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, and Sto:lo nations. His musical journey began at age three, developing an early, intuitive gift for pitch matching and memory through pop, J-pop, and holiday classics. At age seven, after hearing a piano piece, he spent several days independently finding the correct notes until he could reproduce the song by ear. After hearing him play, his nanny immediately recognized his musical instincts and encouraged his mother to enroll him in formal piano lessons. Throughout elementary and secondary school, this passion grew into recreating vocal harmonies with friends, recording piano-and-vocal covers, and producing his own multitrack vocal recordings. In high school, his interest in arranging led him to transcribe four-part vocal harmonies for a small ensemble that was selected to perform on the concert program for a prestigious BC honour choir.
Founded by the late choral director John Trepp to advocate for youth arts funding, the honour choir became a pivotal moment in Taka’s musical development and helped solidify his path to the University of British Columbia, where he completed his Bachelor of Music. Over the next decade, he became deeply involved in Vancouver’s choral community, singing eight seasons with musica intima and working frequently as a clinician for secondary school workshops across Metro Vancouver. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Taka’s career took a new direction. While continuing to record session projects for local producers and perform with ensembles such as the Vancouver Cantata Singers, he realized that next career calling lay in long-term mentorship. This led him to pursue the Professional Development Program at Simon Fraser University, earning his Bachelor of Education and beginning his career as a public school music educator. He also holds a 5+ Post-Graduate Certificate in Reading and Literacy from Queen’s University.
Taka’s versatility as a recording artist and vocalist remains a prominent part of his career. He is a Featured Performer on musica intima’s 2023 JUNO-nominated album NAGAMO, can be heard throughout the ensemble’s extensive discography, and was the featured soloist for an arrangement of Silent Night during the group’s live broadcast on Global BC in 2016. He has also lent his voice to the film industry, recording soundtracks for Netflix animated features The Willoughbys and Away. He continues to perform weekly as the Tenor Section Lead at Holy Rosary Cathedral.
At the Vancouver Academy of Music, Taka teaches private voice, theory, and ear training, while also leading the Young Artist Collegiate Program (YACP) and Adult Theory and Ear Training (ATET) classes. He also serves as a contract K–5 Music Educator for the Surrey School District. Across his teaching, Taka’s goal is to cultivate independent, “intelligent musicianship”—placing artistic agency in the hands of the student and equipping them with the critical listening and technical tools needed to confidently navigate, replicate, and shepherd their own musical journeys beyond the lesson. Outside the classroom, Taka enjoys fitness, nutrition, self-development podcasts, exploring eclectic genres from City Pop to Gospel, and a great bowl of phở.