Born in 1962, Mr Oura’s alma maters included the Daio Elementary School, the Tenri Junior High School and the Tenri High School in Nara. He then went on to the Sakuyo College of Music in Okayama where he studied percussion with Mr Imamura Mitsuaki and conducting techniques with Mr Watanabe Akeo, who was a former conductor of the Nippon Philharmonic Orchestra.

He graduated with a Bachelor in Music, majoring in percussion, after which he travelled to Paris to enrol in the Ecole Normale de Musique a Paris (French Conservatory of Music, Paris) in a further quest for musical knowledge and exposure. Mr Oura graduated with certificates in percussion and orchestra studies. During his 2 years there, Mr Oura was a member of the New National Symphonic Orchestra.

On his return to Japan, Mr Oura became the instructor of the Tenri High School Symphonic Band and Marching Band, both highly respected top school bands in Japan. His foray into the Singapore music scene has benefitted the students who have come under his tutelage, and with his vast experience and enthusiasm for teaching, Mr Takehiro Oura can only further enrich the musical life of the Band, as well as of NTU.