- Born
- Birth nameJo Su-gyeong
- Nickname
- The voice of heaven
- Born in Korea, Sumi Jo studied in her native country before enrolling in the Conservatory of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Her recital debut in Seoul was followed by concerts with the Korean Broadcasting Company Orchestra. Her first operatic role was Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro , which she also sang in Seoul. While studying in Italy, Miss Jo was frequently heard in concert in Italian cities and also in radio broadcasts and telecasts on the RAI Italian National Network. She graduated with honors from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in October 1986.
Miss Jo has won many prestigious awards including first prizes at international competitions in Seoul, Naples, Enna, Barcelona and Pretoria. In August 1986 she was unanimously awarded first prize in the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition at Verona, one of the world's most important contests, open only to first prize-winners of other major competitions. She was elected as "Artist for Peace" of UNESCO in 2003. Miss Jo makes her home in Rome.- IMDb Mini Biography By: ccain2@gmail.com
- Just before she performed Ave Maria at Chatelet, Paris, in 2006, Jo's father, Enho Jo, died. When she learned that her father had died, she wanted to cancel the performance and return to Korea for the funeral. Her mother reminded Jo of her promise to her audiences, and said that it was better if she went on with the show in honor of her father. Her performance was dedicated to her father and released as a DVD titled Sumi Jo in Paris - For my Father.
- In 1986, Jo made her European operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste. This performance drew the attention of Herbert von Karajan, who proceeded to cast her as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera opposite Plácido Domingo for the 1989 Salzburg Festival.
- Opera singer (soprano).
- Her mother was an amateur singer and pianist who had been unable to pursue her own professional music studies due to the political situation in Korea during the 1950s.
- I think music is a God-given mission for me.
- In my next life, I would live just like an ordinary person, doing grocery shopping and cooking at home.
- Well, I used to be a party girl and liked to go out when I was in college. But when I started singing, I had to change my lifestyle completely.
- A high-pitched soprano has the most feminine and sophisticated vocal tone in terms of virtuosity. Personally, I don't like the high-pitched tone of a female singing voice, rather the vocal range of alto or mezzo-soprano. I love sounds created by low-pitched brass wind instruments such as cello.
- I have plunged into a slump many times. But the reason a singer should be kept from such a slump is because he or she must sing in a confident manner on stage. If you display feeble-mindedness on stage, you can't have the audience in the palm of your hand. For me, the medicine is music. I always sing slumps away.
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