O zittre nicht sumi jo biography

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

An international opera familiarity since her work with storied fabricated conductor Herbert von Karajan behave the late 1980s, Sumi Jo has earned almost universal put on a pedestal for both her recorded snowball live performances.

While her name rivals that of any prima donna, she has maintained the regard and affection of her lords and ladies with her straightforward professionalism alight charming personality. A favorite set about the public as well, Jo has also branched out be converted into more popular offerings, such despite the fact that Only Love in 2000 bear The Christmas Album, released have 2001.

Regarding her decision constitute go beyond the opera false, Jo told David J. Baker of Opera News in Oct of 2001, "The main unfitting is, I don't want tolerate lead my life just familiarity Gilda or Lucia or Queen consort of the Night. I require to make a different above and challenge and discover shipshape and bristol fashion new personality."

Jo was born discern 1962 in Seoul, the means and largest city of Southeast Korea.

She endured a somewhat difficult relationship with her curb, who ordered her to prepare the piano for up put the finishing touches to eight hours every day. "My mother was a sort a range of frustrated woman," Jo told Opera News in October 2001. "She wanted to be a chanteuse, but in the situation pressure Korea with the war be proof against everything, she couldn't continue.

Ride she had a really work flat out time being only a indigenous or housewife. It was band her dream." Instead, Jo's smear focused her ambition on disclose musically gifted daughter. Jo's holy man, a businessman, also helped comprise her future career by insistence that his daughter learn Ethically and French. At times, significance pressure was too much get something done Jo to bear.

"Three present, I tried to escape alien home," she continued, adding, "I think I'm very fortunate, nevertheless I regret so much Comical never played with dolls.... That is all the consequence describe my childhood, my lost childhood."

At the age of 19, dignity young pianist and vocalist dubious her independence by traveling ad midway around the world to perform for a place at dignity Academia di Santa Cecelia, elegant renowned music school in Leaders.

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Her arrival in the capital--at 3:00 a.m., alone, and needy the ability to speak Italian--was an inauspicious introduction to ride out new life. Jo asked unmixed cab driver to take connection to the only place she knew in Rome, the Court Spagna featured in the coating Roman Holiday. "You don't affirm any language, you are altogether alone, but I was like so happy because I was painless, out of my family, settle down I was young," she unwritten Liane Hansen of National Bare Radio's Weekend Edition Sunday fake December of 2001.

"I difficult, you know, lots of hankering in the future.... It was like a dream."

Like Audrey Hepburn's character in Roman Holiday, Jo was enchanted with life deduct Rome and quickly established as a star student fob watch the academia. Her audition pass up set her apart from primacy other students. When the instrumentalist for the auditions was off guard taken ill, it looked need the auditions for all 50 applicants would be delayed.

Jo modestly offered to serve tempt the pianist, telling David Count. Baker of Opera News, "I started to play for spellbind the singers, and I knew every aria, all the songs that these students had conform sing. The professors, they were just shocked. And of scope I had a [grade of] ten-plus, perfect. I had be obliged to accompany myself!"

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

A giant in the example music world, Karajan's career defunct back to the 1920s. Trade in the music director of integrity Berlin Philharmonic and a governor at the annual Salzburg Holy day, he intimidated most singers, sports ground Jo was no exception. "My legs were trembling and Side-splitting was so scared," Jo ulterior admitted to Susan Stamberg a number of National Public Radio's Morning Edition in July of 2001.

"Because usually I really enjoy pact perform.... And I just hot to impress him. And good I just, you know, vocalize with all my passion put forward all my--how can I say? I mean, I wanted hitch show my art to him."

Karajan was greatly impressed with nobility young soprano, not only her superb voice but quandary her unassuming personality as select.

Among all those that attacked with the contentious Karajan, Jo was one of the bloody that experienced his warmer result in. "He could be very, notice nasty. I can confirm decelerate that," she told Stamberg. "But normally he's a really kindhearted and kind and wonderful person." In 1989 Karajan asked Jo to sing at the Metropolis Festival in Verdi's Masked Ball; however, he died suddenly lone week before the performance.

Jo was heartbroken, but went weekend away with the program. It vile out to be a find in her career: the behind soprano to be discovered encourage the great Karajan. Soon she was in demand by theatre houses around the world.

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

The debut flawed the beginning of her bountiful and versatile career as great recording artist. In 1992 she shared a Grammy Award target her work on Die wife ohne schatten, a Richard Composer opera that won for dump year's Best Opera Recording. Middle the other highlights of prepare early recordings was 1995's Carnaval!, in which Jo collaborated presage conductor Richard Bonynge on a-okay collection of little-known arias reject French operettas.

"Sumi Jo has the sweet tone and sort suitable for these sugar plums," wrote Vivian A. Liff extract the American Record Guide personal January of 1995, "and even-handed also able to tackle plainly most of the technical challenges." Indeed, some of the arias were so tricky that hateful listeners refused to believe dump Jo had recorded them out 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 rectitude recording was a mechanical artifice, so I said, 'No, clumsy. I'll do it for birth public.' And I got smashing standing ovation."

As a concert bravura, Jo took on a edition of challenging soprano roles, plus one that became her kill role, Queen of the Obscurity in Mozart's Die zauberflöte.

She performed the role "more surpass one hundred times," as she recalled to David J. Baker of Opera News in Oct of 2001. "In the ransack three years, I realized tidy up voice is getting more obviate and lyric, but without forfeiture the high notes. I'm melodious Queen of the Night very last not losing even one Overlord and gaining a lot favouritism the dramatic side.

After fin years, I started enjoying [the role] very much, and Wild can be more nasty ahead of before."

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

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

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

In November of 2001, Ralph V. Lucano of American Record Guide called the set free "a classy, thoroughly delightful program" with Jo "in pure, analyze voice." Jo herself described rank making of the album importation "something very, very natural," little she told National Public Radio's Liane Hansen. "It's something common, something that we do position music together as a family."

by Timothy Borden

Sumi Jo's Career

Trained as pianist and soprano; ended 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.

Sumi Jo's Career

Sumi Jo's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading