Grammy-award winning coloratura soprano Sumi Jo is returning to Australia for a series of performances across the country, including a recital at Sydney’s City Recital Hall on July 19.
Sumi Jo is amongst the highest-selling classical artists in the world, with over 50 recordings to date and recent performances for the Pope and at the Winter and Summer Olympics.
Opera lovers will be in for a treat with the concert set to feature an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary pieces, tango and a hauntingly beautiful folk song from Sumi’s Korean heritage. Sumi will be joined on stage by Argentine-born baritone José Carbó (Opera Australia), and will be accompanied by popular pianist and conductor Guy Noble.
I had a chance to ask Sumi a few questions before she embarks on her Australian tour :
Q. Sumi, you are renowned for your interpretations of the bel canto repertoire. This repertoire relates to an Italian way of singing. A South Korean soprano goes on to mastering an Italian way of singing?! How do you feel about this journey?
A. I like the idea that I learned something from where it has been born. In operatic singing, you have to experience Italy to learn how to sing the Bel Canto way. When I started to sing in Korea, I had a feeling that something was not quite right, even though I was able to sing an entire opera within a few months. What I missed were those elements that were born with the opera, the language, culture and tha way that Italian people live and love. Bel Canto contains not only the technique of vocalising but also all those elements that define the pattern of life that Italian people have. Even though I have sung over 30 years of Italian and other Opera Arias, I’m always learning more. It is an endless learning curve.
I have felt a little bit of discrimination on the opera stage, but as I got better I was kind of absolved by the opera community. Your nationality and skin color are no matter these days, as long as you perform well.
Q. Pablo Picasso is quoted as saying, ‘The purpose of life is to find your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away.’ You have spent many years giving your gifts away…It must be a wonderful life…
A. There is no doubt that there has been a lot of joy in my life of singing. I was just happy singing for the audience for a while. As I grew and had more fans that I talked to, I started to hear stories of their lives. Many people have been suffering in their lives especially in the territories of war – including South and North Korea. When I was asked to be an honorary ambassador of UNESCO, an ‘artist for peace’, I realized that my music can deliver messages to the world, especially for those people who are suffering. Being a singer is quite a complex thing to me, I feel grace that my career has made me not only a good singer but also a good human being that can think about others.
Q. You have travelled all around the world with your music? Where are some of your favourite travel destinations? Are there any you places you are still haven’t explored?
A. It has been wonderful traveling to so many countries, meeting good people and working together for audiences. I cannot count exactly how many countries, but many. I enjoy their unique shapes and tastes. Obviously, those places where I can communicate with the languages I know makes them favorable cities and countries to me. On the other hand, those countries where I don’t speak their language, in most cases, remain mysteries in my mind. I still want explore many countries and cities in South America and Africa if I was invited to sing on their stages.
Q. Herbert Von Karajan described you as having ‘a voice from above’. It’s like saying that you have received a gift from the Gods! Just wondering – Are you a religious woman or are your beliefs more spiritually minded?
A. I found many singers have religious minds, perhaps because of the way the operatic repertoires were born from an era of God. God’s will was the most important matter that ruled that society. To become a good singer, you had to be a religious person in some sense. The same has been true for me as a singer. One day, I was blessed by one of the Korean Fathers who truly showed me his belief of God, and that turned me to understand the true meaning of a life in God. I believe I am a religious person but it does not mean that I go to church every Sunday. I just feel that I am under the wings of Grace and Blessed.
Q. You have had an awesome list of career highlights. Are there many challenges left? Any roles which you would like to play?
A. As a coloratura soprano, I have enjoyed such a specialized area of vocal repertoires, such as the mad scenes of Lucia, I Puritani, and Rigoletto etc. In my career, I also have had many opportunities in other genres of music (crossover music) and they have been mostly successful. I feel grateful for that. I still have such a strong energy in many areas of vocal
music – that includes obviously many operas I have not been able to sing due to the range of my voice. I would like to explore more of these repertoires in coming years. I will also try to extend crossover areas if I can find time and energy in addition to the classical repertoires.
Q. Back in 2003 you were elected an Artist for Peace at UNESCO. With recent developments there seems to be hope for a long-lasting peace between South and North Korea? What are your feelings about it?
A. It has been such a sad thing to remain a separated people within the same geographic area – our Korean peninsula. North and South Korea have been separated for 70 years and many people have suffered from this separation. There have been many efforts to, at least, keep exchanging our cultural heritage. And, at the very least, let separated families meet each other before older members of a family pass away.
Now, as an Artist for Peace, and as a Korean experiencing this sad situation, I am delighted to see a warmer mood in talks between South and North Koreans. There is no doubt that I will join in any activities, and in any way I can, to help expedite our getting closer to each other.
I sang with a wonderful North Korean tenor in the year 2000 at the Seoul Arts Center, to wish for unification on the peninsula, and I will never forget the feeling of emotion I felt at that time. I am sure this time will be the ultimate chance for our two Koreas to get closer than ever, and even become one in peace.
Q. Sumi, you are an advocate for animal rights and one of only five Asian celebrities to be part of the group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Do you have any favourite animals? Would our koala be amongst them?
A. I’m not sure I could have a Koala as my pet, but I do think they are cute. However, dogs have been my closest friends my entire life. I currently have three dogs in my house, and my Italian Mother, Nineta, takes care of them when I am away from home for concerts. They are very loved.
Q. Sumi, what are your feelings about popular music? Many classically trained singers shy away from popular music. Could you ever imagine performing a duet with a popular singer like the great Placido Domingo did with the late John Denver?
A. I am quite positive about the popular music because in a way it serves the same purpose to the listener – to feel joy and sorrow through them. Many people tend to believe that classical music is difficult – I also agree in some sense – that classical music requires the listener to have some kind of pre-requisite information to understand fully. On the contrary, popular music just asks you to sit down and listen and enjoy. I have recorded a few popular albums and I invited a few of my pop artist friends to sing along with me on the album. If a chance is given to me, I would love to collaborate with a popular music artist.