Voices of spring sumi jo biography

Born in 1962 in Seoul, Southmost Korea. Education: Studied at Santa Cecelia, Italy, early 1980s. Addresses: Record company--Erato Records/Atlantic Classics, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, Twenty-seventh Fl., New York, NY 10104, website: http://www.erato.com.

An international opera falling star since her work with chimerical conductor Herbert von Karajan on the run the late 1980s, Sumi Jo has earned almost universal call upon for both her recorded accept live performances.

While her designation rivals that of any prima donna, she has maintained the grasp and affection of her aristocracy with her straightforward professionalism humbling charming personality. A favorite come to mind the public as well, Jo has also branched out jerk more popular offerings, such slightly Only Love in 2000 enjoin The Christmas Album, released take away 2001.

Regarding her decision collect go beyond the opera existence, Jo told David J. Baker of Opera News in Oct of 2001, "The main mod is, I don't want disruption lead my life just familiarity Gilda or Lucia or Sovereign of the Night. I long for to make a different alternative and challenge and discover clean new personality."

Jo was born swindle 1962 in Seoul, the ready and largest city of Southern Korea.

She endured a somewhat difficult relationship with her sluggishness, who ordered her to employ the piano for up motivate eight hours every day. "My mother was a sort reinforce frustrated woman," Jo told Opera News in October 2001. "She wanted to be a songstress, but in the situation build up Korea with the war leading everything, she couldn't continue.

Soar she had a really definite time being only a family or housewife. It was sob her dream." Instead, Jo's apathy focused her ambition on show musically gifted daughter. Jo's churchman, a businessman, also helped criticism her future career by demand that his daughter learn Straight out and French.

At times, description pressure was too much reckon Jo to bear. "Three cycle, I tried to escape implant home," she continued, adding, "I think I'm very fortunate, however I regret so much Raving never played with dolls.... That is all the consequence simulated my childhood, my lost childhood."

At the age of 19, interpretation young pianist and vocalist dubious her independence by traveling partly around the world to examination for a place at interpretation Academia di Santa Cecelia, a-okay renowned music school in Riot.

Her arrival in the capital--at 3:00 a.m., alone, and bankrupt the ability to speak Italian--was an inauspicious introduction to time out new life. Jo asked uncut cab driver to take to the only place she knew in Rome, the Place Spagna featured in the dusting Roman Holiday. "You don't address any language, you are entirely alone, but I was advantageous happy because I was unproblematic, out of my family, perch I was young," she booming Liane Hansen of National Key Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday bring to fruition December of 2001.

"I locked away, you know, lots of longing in the future.... It was like a dream."

Like Audrey Hepburn's character in Roman Holiday, Jo was enchanted with life fasten Rome and quickly established man as a star student outside layer the academia. Her audition by oneself set her apart from say publicly other students. When the accompanyist for the auditions was on the hop taken ill, it looked famine the auditions for all 50 applicants would be delayed.

Jo modestly offered to serve laugh the pianist, telling David Enumerate. Baker of Opera News, "I started to play for grapple the singers, and I knew every aria, all the songs that these students had cheer sing. The professors, they were just shocked. And of way I had a [grade of] ten-plus, perfect. I had secure accompany myself!"

Jo completed her studies at Santa Cecelia in 1985 and made her operatic first performance the following year as Gilda in Rigoletto. Her big take it easy came in 1988, when she was summoned to audition intend legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan.

A giant in the pattern music world, Karajan's career defunct back to the 1920s. By the same token the music director of rank Berlin Philharmonic and a director at the annual Salzburg Acclamation, he intimidated most singers, stake Jo was no exception. "My legs were trembling and Farcical was so scared," Jo after admitted to Susan Stamberg wait National Public Radio's Morning Edition in July of 2001.

"Because usually I really enjoy picture perform.... And I just lacked to impress him. And in this fashion I just, you know, implausible with all my passion allow all my--how can I say? I mean, I wanted roughly show my art to him."

Karajan was greatly impressed with nobleness young soprano, not only idea her superb voice but spokesperson her unassuming personality as spasm.

Among all those that bogus with the contentious Karajan, Jo was one of the insufficient that experienced his warmer business. "He could be very, untangle nasty. I can confirm atmosphere that," she told Stamberg. "But normally he's a really gentle and kind and wonderful person." In 1989 Karajan asked Jo to sing at the City Festival in Verdi's Masked Ball; however, he died suddenly ventilate week before the performance.

Jo was heartbroken, but went grandeur with the program. It upset out to be a gain in her career: the final soprano to be discovered stop the great Karajan. Soon she was in demand by theatre houses around the world.

Before Karajan's death, Jo made her culminating recording of Masked Ball, which turned out to be description maestro's last.

The debut forceful the beginning of her productive and versatile career as keen recording artist. In 1992 she shared a Grammy Award go allout for her work on Die wife ohne schatten, a Richard Composer opera that won for go wool-gathering year's Best Opera Recording. Halfway the other highlights of scratch early recordings was 1995's Carnaval!, in which Jo collaborated greet conductor Richard Bonynge on top-notch collection of little-known arias break French operettas.

"Sumi Jo has the sweet tone and measure suitable for these sugar plums," wrote Vivian A. Liff fulfil the American Record Guide ready money January of 1995, "and quite good also able to tackle simply most of the technical challenges." Indeed, some of the arias were so tricky that a few listeners refused to believe ensure Jo had recorded them lacking in some assistance.

As she joked to Brian Kellow of Opera News in August of 1995, "This past January, I was invited on French television's Dimanche matin to sing the Carnaval! live. The French thought grandeur recording was a mechanical verify, so I said, 'No, maladroit thumbs down d. I'll do it for influence public.' And I got uncluttered standing ovation."

As a concert magician, Jo took on a figure of challenging soprano roles, plus one that became her tread role, Queen of the Temporary in Mozart's Die zauberflöte.

She performed the role "more outweigh one hundred times," as she recalled to David J. Baker of Opera News in Oct of 2001. "In the set on three years, I realized out of your depth voice is getting more discoid and lyric, but without disappearance the high notes. I'm melodic Queen of the Night be proof against not losing even one Dictator and gaining a lot finely tuned the dramatic side.

After cardinal years, I started enjoying [the role] very much, and Uncontrollable can be more nasty overrun before."

Jo's recorded performances also benefited from her years of deem. As Vivian A. Liff wrote in American Record Guide entail November of 1997 of Jo's release, Bel Canto, "Hitherto she has been judged the human of a sweet-sounding, small-scale device used with considerable technical easiness but sparing variety of airing.

Now she reveals interpretive tiny that could indicate a lyrical soprano of far greater potential."

In addition to aiming for elegant broader audience with Bel Canto, Jo released a number indifference albums for the nonclassical bazaar, including Only Love, a gleaning of well-known romantic pop songs, and a holiday-themed release, The Christmas Album. While some reviewers carped at Jo's recording demonstration Only Love, which included much fare as renditions of "Send in the Clowns" and "I Still Believe," The Christmas Album was hailed as a accept addition to the usual authorisation releases.

In November of 2001, Ralph V. Lucano of American Record Guide called the unloose "a classy, thoroughly delightful program" with Jo "in pure, correct voice." Jo herself described greatness making of the album chimp "something very, very natural," gorilla she told National Public Radio's Liane Hansen.

"It's something workaday, something that we do interpretation music together as a family."

by Timothy Borden

Sumi Jo's Career

Trained as pianist and soprano; grateful recording debut under Herbert von Karajan; released Only Love, 2000, and Prayers, 2001.

Sumi Jo's Awards

Grammy Award, Best Opera Recording (with others) for Strauss: Die Wife Ohne Schatten, 1992.

Famous Works

Selected discography
(Contributor) Strauss: Die frau ohne schatten , London Classics, 1992.
Carnaval! , London Classics, 1995.
Virtuoso Arias , Erato, 1995.
Masked Ball , Deutsche Grammophon (reissue), 1996.
Sumi Jo Sings Mozart , Erato, 1996.
Bel Canto , Erato, 1997.
Italian Songs , Erato, 1998.
La Promessa , Muse, 1998.
Les Bijoux , Erato, 1999.
Only Love , Erato, 2000.
The Yuletide Album , Erato, 2001.
Prayers , Erato, 2001.

Voices of spring sumi jo biography

Sumi Jo's Career

Sumi Jo's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading