Vocalist Jo Sumi unveils the highest grade of the French Order of Merit for Culture and Arts at the Plaza Hotel, Seoul, June 16. Newsis
Renowned Korean soprano Sumi Jo has said she hopes to "share the love" she has received through music as she marks the 40th anniversary of her stage debut.
"How did 40 years pass like this? People say life is but a midsummer night's dream," the 63-year-old told Yonhap News Agency in an interview ahead of her anniversary concert "Mad for Love," to be held at London's Cadogan Hall on Thursday. "Reading my diaries from those years, I realize I truly lived with all my heart."
The Grammy-winning artist said the concert program reflects her artistic journey, spanning baroque repertoire, opera arias and Korean art songs. She invited young American baritone Edward Nelson as a guest performer, part of her effort to support emerging talent.
Since taking the role of Gilda in Verdi's "Rigoletto" at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Italy, in 1986, Jo has performed in leading opera houses around the world.
Her ties with Britain date back to her high school days, when her father visited London in the late 1970s and asked officials at the Royal Opera House how his daughter might one day debut there.
Decades later, she became the first Asian prima donna to perform on the world's five major opera stages before the age of 30.
"At that time, people didn't even know where Korea was," she recalled. "Entering the European opera scene as an Asian singer was not easy. Since the art form carries so much of Europe's own history and culture, appearance mattered a lot."
Jo went on to become a pioneer in the field, becoming the first Korean to win a Grammy Award and the first Asian recipient of Italy's Golden Goose Award, given to its top soprano. She also became the first non-Italian to win the Puccini Award and last year received France's Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, the nation's highest cultural honor, for her contributions to French art.
The soprano credits her success to a mix of talent, discipline and supportive mentors, including her parents and Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan, who discovered her in her early 20s and coined her moniker "the voice from God."
Source: Korea Times News
