The Korea Herald

피터빈트

Soprano Jo Su-mi to go on five-city tour in June

By Lee Jung-joo

Published : May 7, 2023 - 15:21

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Poster for the 2023 Jo Sumi Concert: In Love (SMI Entertainment) Poster for the 2023 Jo Sumi Concert: In Love (SMI Entertainment)

Internationally acclaimed soprano Jo Su-mi will embark on a five-city tour in June, performing in Gongju and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province; Ulsan; Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province; and Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.

Titled “2023 Jo Sumi Concert: In Love,” the tour will kick off at the Gongju Culture and Art Center on June 8. The tour will continue at the Dangjin Culture and Art Center on June 10, at the Ulsan Culture and Arts Center on June 25, at the Seongnam Arts Center on June 29 and at the Cheongju Arts Center on July 2.

The program will consist of Korean art songs interspersed with elements of modern pop, mainly focusing on songs from the singer's "In Love: Korean Love Poems" album, according to SMI Entertainment.

"In Love” is Jo’s latest love-themed album which was released in December.

Jo will be joined by tenor Kim Hyun-soo, a member of the quartet Forte di Quattro, which won the top prize at JTBC’s audition program “Phantom Singer” in 2017. Jo's performance will also be accompanied by Park Soo-ah, who plays the traditional Korean instrument known as the "haegeum," and who is also the haegeum section leader at the Incheon Gugak Orchestra.

Both artists will perform notable songs from the “In Love” album with Jo. “First Love,” a duet originally performed with bass-baritone Gil Byeong-min, will be performed with tenor Kim during the tour. “No Flower Blooms Without Wavering,” set to a poem by Do Jong-hwan will be accompanied by Park.

The Millennial Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Choi Young-sun will also take part in the concert.

Tickets for "2023 Jo Sumi Concert: In Love" can be purchased on Interpark. Prices range from 77,000 won to 143,000 won.

Jo is also scheduled to perform a concert in Seoul in July following the five-city tour.

Jo will perform with the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on July 6 at Lotte Concert Hall, although further details have yet to be announced.

Jo has released more than 40 albums across a wide spectrum of music since her 1986 European operatic debut. She has been the recipient of a number of well-known awards, including the International Puccini Award in 2008 and a Grammy Award in 1993 for best opera recording.