SUMI JO Soprano

Praised for the remarkable agility, precision and warmth of her voice, and for her outstanding musicianship, Sumi Jo has established herself as one of her generation’s most sought-after sopranos. She is the highest selling Classical singer in the world, with over 50 recordings to her credit, including a Grammy-winning with Sir for Decca London and for Deutsche Grammophon under .

Sumi has performed at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, at the International Olympic Games in Beijing, at the World Cup, and for the Pope in Korea, and appeared, performing as herself, in the film 'Youth' by starring Michael Caine, which was released in the UK in January 2016. Sumi’s performance of the film’s signature song, “Simple Song #3” won her nominations for the 2016 Golden Globe awards, as well as an Oscar in the “Music – Original Song” category.

Sumi made her European operatic debut as Gilda at the Teatro Comunale in Trieste in 1986. There followed a series of impressive house and role debuts, including Oscar Un ballo in maschera opposite Placido Domingo at the in 1987; Thetis Fentone at Teatro alla Scala, Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro at the Bayerische Staatsoper in 1988; debuts at the Wiener Staatsoper and the as Gilda in 1989; Chicago Lyric as Queen of the Night and Olympia Les Contes d’Hoffmann at House in 1990. Sumi has since been greeted consistently with exceptional accolades, by public and press alike, for performances in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world.

Sumi celebrated the 30th anniversary of her international opera debut in the 2016-17 season, with performances in Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia; a guest appearance at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s Lunar New Year Concert at David Geffen Hall; Maria Callas Tribute concerts with the Hong Kong Philharmonic; a charity recital in Manila; gala concert at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center Athens; concerts in Toulouse, Taipei and Pingtung with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse; Fauré Requiem with the Montreal Symphony; and recitals in Clermont-Ferrand and Montreal. Sumi also joined the distinguished jury for the Cardiff Singer of the World 2017 competition.

Recent engagements also include gala concerts with Hawaii Symphony Orchestra in October 2015; a gala concert to open the new Guangzhou Opera House; a concert tour with the Academy of Ancient Music; New Year’s Day concerts with the Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome; gala concerts in Moscow, St Petersburg, London, Krasnoyarsk, Latvia, Almaty in Kazakhstan; and recitals at the Sala Sao Paolo, Opera du Rhin Strasbourg, Roy Thomson Hall Toronto, Chatelet Theatre Paris, Smetanova Litomysl Festival in the Czech Republic and in Korea, Tokyo and Australia. Recent opera engagements include Fiakermilli Arabella at Hamburg State Opera; Madame Mao at the Chatelet Theatre; Juliette Roméo et Juliette at Teatro Municipal de Rio de Janeiro; Fiorilla at Hamburg State Opera; Rosina Il Barbiere di Siviglia and the title role of Auber’s Lescaut at Opera Royal de Wallonie in Liege; and the title role for Opera di Firenze.

Engagements in 2017-18 season include gala concerts in Budapest, Paris, at the Colosseum in Rome and Teatro Colón in Bogota; recitals with guitarist Xuefei Yang across Asia; a concert at the Kremlin Palace, Moscow; a tour of Australia including a guest appearance with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra; and recitals at the Opera Theatre Clermont-Ferrand and at London’s Wigmore Hall.

Askonas Holt Limited Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn, London WC1V 7JH, United Kingdom T +44 (0)20 7400 1700 askonasholt.co.uk [email protected]

Born in Korea, Sumi Jo studied in her native country before enrolling in the Conservatory of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where she graduated with honours in October 1986. Her many prestigious awards include the international Puccini Award and First Prize at international competitions in Seoul, Naples, Enna, Barcelona, Pretoria and the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition in Verona. She was elected UNESCO ‘Artist for Peace’ of in 2003.

For the most up-to-date biography, please contact us. This biography should not be edited without permission from Askonas Holt.

CAMILLA WEHMEYER / AUGUST 2017

For further information on this artist, please contact: JOEL THOMAS, Director [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7400 1739

CAMILLA WEHMEYER, Assistant Artist Manager [email protected] | +44 (0)20 7400 1710

Askonas Holt Limited Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn, London WC1V 7JH, United Kingdom T +44 (0)20 7400 1700 askonasholt.co.uk [email protected]