Sumi Jo, considered as one of the great singers of this generation and considered the most popular Asian soprano in the opera world today, is slated to sing to help raise more funds for the rehabilitation of typhoon-stricken cities in Visayas. Her concert is scheduled on February 1 at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura, Bonifacio Global City of Taguig.
Described by Maestro Herbert Von Karajan, Austrian orchestra and opera conductor associated with the Berlin Philharmonic, as “The Voice from Above,” this Grammy Award-winning South Korean lyric coloratura soprano is known for her interpretations of the bel canto repertoire.
She has sung in all the important opera houses in the world, including Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Metropolitan Opera Houses, Salzburg Festspielhaus, Vienna State Opera, to name a few.
Her 2013-14 schedule includes singing these roles: Lucia in Strasbourg, Barcelona, Berlin and Paris; La sonnambula in Brussels and Santiago, Chile; I Capuleti e i Montecchi with the Minnessota Opera; Olympia in New York; Rosina in New York; the Queen of the Night in Los Angeles; Gilda in Bilbao, Oviedo, Bologna, Trieste, and Detroit among others; Il turco in Italia in Spain; L’enfant et les sortilèges in Boston and Pittsburgh; Le comte Ory in Rome; and Dinorah in New York.
Sumi Jo also appeared in performances at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Opéra National de Paris, Washington Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Australia and the Teatro Colón.
Aside from singing opera, she has appeared with numerous symphony orchestras in concerts like the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Cincinnati Pops, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, among others.
She has collaborated with such conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, James Levine, Kent Nagano, and Richard Bonynge. She has given solo recitals throughout Europe, the US, Canada and Australia.
In her wish to bring classical music to the younger generation, Sumi Jo started to venture into cross over by provided the voice of ‘Veda Pierce’ in the HBO miniseries ‘Mildred Pierce’. She also sung the theme song for the the movie “Nine Gates” starring Johnny Depp and numerous Korean movies and teleseries. A winner of the Grammy Award for her recordings, Sumi Jo has over 50 recordings to her credit, including ten solo albums for Erato, the French division of Warner Classics. She was also a recipient of the following awards: International Puccini Award, Korean Award for Culture and Arts, “Artist for Peace” of UNESCO, Best Vocal Album by French Cultural Critics, the Best Selling Album of the Year award by British Classic and the Order of Culture Merit of South Korea to name a few.
Music lovers will at last have a chance to hear Sumi Jo in February, the month of love and of the arts. Accompanying her is pianist Najib Ismail.
The concert is presented by Cultural Arts Events Organizer (CAEO) in partnership with the Korean Cultural Center, Edsa Shangri-la Hotel Manila, Lyric Piano DZFE.FM The Master’s Touch and BusinessWorld.
For tickets, call CEOA at (+632) 7827164, (+632) 7500768, (+63) 9183473027 or (+63) 9209540053. Tickets will soon be available at all SM Ticket Outlets, (+632) 4702222, or visit www.smtickets.com.
