Sumi Jo
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Biography
Sumi Jo (real nameâ¯ì¡°ì미, born 22â¯Novemberâ¯1962 in Changwon, Southâ¯Korea) is a lyric coloratura soprano whose career began under the rigorous guidance of her mother, an amateur singer who enrolled her in piano at four and voice at six. Sumi Joâs formal education progressed through the Sun Hwa Arts School and Seoul National University, where she debuted professionally as Susanna in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro with Seoul Opera; she then moved to Rome in 1983 to study at the Conservatorio Santaâ¯Cecilia, earning dual degrees in keyboard and voice by 1985 and beginning her international competition victories, including first prize in the 1986 Carloâ¯Albertoâ¯Cappelli International Competition. Her European operatic debut followed in the same year as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste, attracting the attention of Herbertâ¯vonâ¯Karajan who cast her as Oscar in Verdi's Unâ¯balloâ¯inâ¯maschera at the 1989 Salzburg Festival and recorded the opera for Deutscheâ¯Grammophon; she also made Laâ¯Scala debuts (Thetis in Jommelli's Fetonte), Bavarian State Opera, and a 1989 Metropolitan Opera entry as Gilda, roles she would reprise over fifteen years. The 1990s saw Sumi Joâs expansion into the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute at Chicago Lyric Opera and her debut at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden as Olympia in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann, later recording R. Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos with Kentâ¯Nagano. Her discography grew with Live at Carnegie Hall (1998), The Christmas Album (2000), and Baroque Journey (2007), among more than forty releases, including Virtuoso Arias (1994) and Missing You (2008). Sumi Jo earned a Grammy Award for her bel canto interpretations, notably on "Viola" and "Fur Elise" recordings, and received the firstâclass Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit in 2023 for promoting Korean culture. She contributed the theme "The Champions" to the 2002 FIFA World Cup broadcast, provided the singing voice for Veda Pierce in HBOâs Mildredâ¯Pierce (2011), and performed a duet with Sohyang, "Here as One", at the 2018 Winter Paralympic opening ceremony. In 2015 her rendition of "Simple Song Numberâ¯3" was nominated for an Academy Award, though the performance was not broadcast. Sumi Joâs commitment to animal rights earned her a spot on PETA AsiaâPacificâs BestâDressed list in 2008, and she was appointed visiting distinguished professor at KAISTâs Graduate School of Culture Technology in 2021. Her latest works include Maestra (2023) and the 2026 CONTINUUM â 40th Anniversary Special Album, cementing her legacy as a prominent Korean soprano on the world stage.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Ariadne auf Naxos
- Bellini: Norma (Ed. Biondi & Minasi), Act I Scene 1: Deh! proteggimi, o Dio! featuring Giovanni Antonini
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 2 - "Squallida veste" featuring Neville Marriner
- Bellini: Norma (Ed. Biondi & Minasi), Act I Scene 1: Sgombra è la sacra selva, compiuto il rito featuring Giovanni Antonini
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 2: "Caro padre, madre amata" featuring Neville Marriner
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 2 - "Dunque seguitemi" featuring Neville Marriner
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 2 - "Questo vecchio maledetto" featuring Neville Marriner
- Bellini: Norma (Ed. Biondi & Minasi), Act I Scene 1: Ah! bello a me ritorna featuring Giovanni Antonini
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 2 - "Oh! guardate che accidente" featuring Neville Marriner
- Il Turco in Italia: Overture (Sinfonia) featuring The Ambrosian Singers
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 2 - "Credete alle femmine" featuring Neville Marriner
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 2 - "In Italia certamente" featuring Neville Marriner
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 1 - "No mia vita, mio tesoro" featuring Neville Marriner
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 1 - "Come! Sì grave torto" featuring Neville Marriner
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 1 - "Per piacere alla signora" featuring Neville Marriner
- Bellini: Norma (Ed. Biondi & Minasi), Act I Scene 1: Va, crudele, al Dio spietato featuring Giovanni Antonini
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 1 - "Siete dei Turchi" featuring Neville Marriner
- Bellini: Norma (Ed. Biondi & Minasi), Act I Scene 1: Eccola! va, mi lascia, ragion non odo featuring Giovanni Antonini
- Rossini: Il Turco in Italia / Act 1 - "Io stupisco, mi sorprende" featuring Neville Marriner
- R. Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten, Op. 65 - Act 3: "Fort mit uns!" featuring Georg Solti
- R. Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten, Op. 65 - Act 3: "Sie kommen!" featuring Georg Solti
- R. Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten, Op. 65 - Act 3: "Auf, geh nach oben, Mann" featuring Georg Solti
- Bellini: Norma (Ed. Biondi & Minasi), Act I Scene 1: Me protegge, me difende featuring Giovanni Antonini
- R. Strauss: Die Frau ohne Schatten, Op. 65 - Act 2: "Barak, ich hab' es nicht getan!" featuring Georg Solti
