Hailed by The New York Times for her “bright, clear voice and impressive coloratura technique,” and by Le Devoir for a voice that is “sumptuous, of incredible magnitude,” South Korean soprano Hyesang Park is attracting the attention of opera houses and concert presenters worldwide. She is a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious Lindemann Young Artists Development Program.
Following a summer season that includes her United Kingdom opera debut with the Glyndebourne Festival, singing the role of Najade in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Miss Park travels to Munich to make her Bayerische Staatsoper debut singing the role of Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in September/October 2017. Also in the fall, she has been invited by Placido Domingo to Prague to sing Zerlina in Don Giovanni. Winter/spring 2018 sees Ms. Park in New York City, returning to the Metropolitan Opera in December/January for two productions: she sings the role of Barbarina in the first six performances of Le Nozze di Figaro (including the Met Broadcast), and the role of The Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. March 22nd she performs on Manhattan’s celebrated St. Thomas Church Concert Series, singing Brahm’s Ein deutsches Requiem under Director of Music Daniel Hyde.
Performances during the 2016-17 season included Hyesang Park’s Metropolitan Opera debut as the First Wood Nymph in Dvořák’s Rusalka, singing the role of Juliette in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette with the Korea National Opera in Seoul, Korea, recital debuts on Canada’s ProMusica Dominica Series and Carnegie Hall’s Neighborhood Concert Series, appearing in a New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concert, in concert with Placido Domingo in Seoul, Korea, and a guest appearance on Los Angeles Opera’s Domingo Young Artists Concert.
Other recent engagements include Miss Park serving as a “Young Artist in Residence” at the 2016 Music & Vin Festival in Beaune, France. In May 2016, she sang in a concert of works by Purcell, Brahms and Obradors for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, as well as participated in a concert with the Metropolitan Opera conducted by Music Director James Levine. In early February 2016, Ms. Park was showcased in the title role of Bellini’s La Sonnambula in a joint Lindemann/Juilliard production.
In November 2014, Hyesang Park made her American opera debut as Fiorilla in Juilliard Opera’s production of Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia. With regards to this performance, Opera News magazine remarked, “Her solid, refined fioritura delivery was matched by glamour, temperament and, above all, an ability to put bel canto splendor to expressive use.”
Ms. Park’s honors and awards include first prize in the April 2016 Gerda Lissner Foundation International Competition, second prize and the Audience Choice Award at the 2015 Montreal International Musical Competition, and winning second place overall in the women’s division in Placido Domingo’s 2015 International Operalia competition, as well as taking First Prize in the women’s Zarzuela. Earlier awards include Fifth Place in the 2014 Queen Elizabeth International Music Competition, First Place at both the 2010 Korea National Opera and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts competitions, and Korea’s Minister for Culture Prize.
In May 2017, Ms. Park graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City with an Artist Diploma in Opera Studies, a rigorous, prestigious two-year advanced training program. The recipient of a Toulmin Foundation Scholarship, in June 2015 Miss Park earned her Master’s Degree from Juilliard. She studied with Edith Bers and participated in masterclasses with Sir Richard Bonynge, Marilyn Horne, Renée Fleming, Renata Scotto, Mariella Devia, and Luciana Serra. She also studied at the Georg Solti Accademia in Italy, and Switzerland’s Verbier Festival. Among the distinguished conductors she has worked with are Plácido Domingo, Sigiswald Kuijken and Roland Böer.
Before moving to the United States, Hyesang Park made her professional opera debut as Violetta in La traviata with the Korea National Opera, and also sang the role of Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore with the company. Miss Park earned her Bachelors of Music Degree in Vocal Performance at Seoul National University. Currently a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious Lindemann Young Artists Development Program, she resides in New York City.
