ARTISTS CORNER: Tenor Hak Soo Kim

Tenor Hak Soo Kim

Korean-American tenor Hak Soo Kim returns to Sarasota Opera this season as The Count Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville. Last season, Mr. Kim won critical acclaim for his virtuosic performances of both the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto as well as Edoardo di Sanval in the 2013 winter production of A King for a Day (Un giorno di regno).  Mr. Kim's other recent appearances include Los Angeles Opera, Accademia Rossiniana in Pesaro, Italy, Opera New Jersey as well as in concert with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

Continue reading to learn what has kept Mr. Kim returning to Sarasota for four productions as well as what specialty hobby he practices in between performances.    

Q. Where are you originally from and where do you base yourself out of today?
A. I am originally from Seoul, Korea.  I came to the U.S., when I was 17 years old to become a diplomat. Now, I base myself in New York City, where I have a fabulous support system of friends, mentors and teachers.

Mr. Kim as Gastone in La traviata at Los Angeles Opera

Q. Why Opera?  What drew you to become a singer?
A. I love singing, simply because it makes me feel great.  Opera is so multi-faceted that, no matter how much I study, it still remains mysteriously challenging.  In other words, I can never get bored.  Besides, I always ended up getting back to singing, no matter how much I tried to venture into other career paths--in college I majored in German and Economics and was on the verge of becoming an investment banker, and recently, I worked as a captain and sommelier at a restaurant with two Michelin star rating in New York City.  In the end, though, nothing else makes me happier but singing on stage!

Q. What singing did you do as a teenager?
A. I sang at the school musicals for all four years in high school.  Fortunately, the private boarding school that I attended, Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, OH, had a great theater program, and I was able to fully take advantage of the resources.  I sang Frederic in Pirates of Penzance, Billy Lawlor in 42nd St, Nanki-Poo in Mikado and John Jasper in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Mr. Kim as the Duke of Mantua in
Rigoletto at Sarasota Opera

A. Your past three operas with Sarasota Opera have all been role debuts, correct?  Is it nice to sing a role you have already done somewhere else?
Q. Yes, "Repetition is the mother of perfection."  As long as I keep my standard high, there is always room for improvement, and the best and the simplest way to improve oneself is through repetition.  Besides, even though this is my fourth production of The Barber of Seville, I feel that my journey is different every time. We are using a different edition of the score, Maestro Cormio takes different tempos from other conductors I have worked with, and the cast has different chemistry.  It definitely is an exciting process to mold my previous experiences into what we have here in Sarasota.

Q. What are you looking forward to most about performing the role of Count Almaviva in this season’s production of The Barber of Seville?
A. I am excited about bringing my own vocal interpretation of the role.  Maestro Cormio and I are working particularly on bringing more lyric legato lines and unifying them into Italian poetry with more directional rhymes, instead of fast, jumpy and light singing.

Mr. Kim as Ernesto in Don Pasquale at Opera Colorado

Q. What is your process for preparing a role for performance?
A. First, I start by finding and reading the original literature.  Secondly, I move to the poetry of the libretto with focus on rhymes and accents.  Then, I focus on designing how I am going to sing the role.  Because every role has its unique challenges, I need to figure out how I am going to move my voice through those passages.  During rehearsals, I concentrate on how I am going to pace myself, singing and acting.  The Barber of Seville especially needs this game plan, since the role of Count Almaviva is such a marathon role vocally.

Q. What do you want the audience to know about your character?  What do you find most challenging about this role?
A. Count Almaviva is unfortunately not that smart in this opera.  His eagerness to find his true love dictates his behavior.  He is looking for someone to love him for who he is, not what he is.  Therefore, he does not want to reveal his true identity.

This role is extremely difficult, because of its sheer length.  I open the opera with an aria and close the opera with one of the toughest arias for tenors.  Throughout the performance, I disguise as a student, drunk soldier, music teacher and come back as a count, which means that I am constantly changing costumes and wigs, even when I am not on stage.  I never get to rest during the entire performance, and that is just exhausting. The role of Count Almaviva calls for a lot of athleticism.

Mr. Kim as Matteo in Strauss' Arabella at Santa Fe Opera

Q. As I mentioned before, this will be your fourth opera with Sarasota Opera.  You must enjoy singing here. What do you think makes Sarasota Opera so special that people return season after season?
A. The support system here is incredible--music staff and administrators are always there to help me in any means possible.  In addition, there is a wonderful group of patrons, ushers, and supporters whom I have gotten to know better since my debut season in 2010.  It just has been a great experience to be working in this company.

Q. Thus far, what is the most bizarre experience you have had during a rehearsal?  During a performance?
A. Fortunately and unfortunately, I really do not have any bizarre episode during rehearsals or performances.

Q. Do you have any pre-performance rituals?  Performance superstitions?  Good luck charms? 
A. My pre-performance preparation starts from the day before the performance.  I go on vocal rest to make sure my voice is fresh for the day of the show.  Then, on the very day, I just make sure that my body is fully awake and has a good rate of metabolism--I eat and exercise.  I also make sure that I am very well hydrated before the performance, because I know for sure that I will be sweating a lot out there.

Mr. Kim as Edoardo di Sanval and soprano
Danielle Walker as Giuletta in Verdi's A King for a Day 

Q. How do you relax in between performances?  What hobbies do you enjoy at home and “on the road”?
A. Last July, I passed three-day long exams to be a certified sommelier by the Court of Master Sommeliers. So, I definitely enjoy wine to relax between performances.  Like opera, wine requires a life-long study. Whenever I grow weary of a musical journey, I pick up a wine book and a glass of wine, and my soul gets recharged.

I also enjoy bike-riding, golfing, scuba diving and skiing, depending on the season and where I am.

Q. How do you stay connected to family and friends when you are “on the road”?  Do you keep a blog? Website? Facebook?  Twitter?
A. Last December I deactivated my Facebook account because I felt that I was getting too distracted.  I wanted to use my time more wisely.  Then, I received so many messages from my friends all over the world to open it back up, as they wanted to be updated on where I am and what journey I am taking whether it is on wine, restaurant or opera.  So, I crawled my way back to the Facebook empire.

Don't miss your chance to hear Mr. Kim's dazzling vocalism as Count Almaviva in Rossini's The Barber of Seville now through March 21st.  Tickets are available at www.sarasotaopera.org or by calling (941) 328-1300.

Verdi's A KING FOR A DAY: An Insiders Look




Dr. Francesco Izzo

 On March 2nd, Sarasota Opera will present Verdi's second opera and first comedy, Un giorno di regno (A King for a Day),  which will mark the 29th installment of Sarasota Opera's internationally acclaimed Verdi Cycle.  March 2nd will also be the world premiere of the new critical edition of this opera prepared by Dr. Francesco Izzo, Co-Director of the American Institute for Verdi Studies.  


We asked Dr. Izzo to prepare a brief write up on Verdi's A King for a Day in which he points out that just because a piece is not seen with the frequency of say a Madama Butterfly, does not mean it should be discounted as something not worth paying attention to.



Corey Crider as Belfiore, Jennifer Feinstein
as the Marchesa, and Stefano de Peppo
as the Baron



At Sarasota Opera, rehearsals are underway for a new exciting premiere of a lesser-known opera by Giuseppe Verdi.  This time, the spotlight is on King for a Day, or Un giorno di regno (1840), Verdi’s second opera and his only comic work before his final masterpiece, Falstaff.  The world premiere of Un giorno di regno at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala was, quite famously, a fiasco.  A great deal has been written about the sad circumstances under which Verdi had to compose this opera: his first wife, Margherita Barezzi, died suddenly less than three months before the premiere, and the young couple had lost both of their children during the previous two years. Many commentators—ostensibly by way of apology—have remarked that such a tragic scenario was hardly conducive to the creation of an opera buffa, and that one should not be surprised that the opera failed. 





Baritone Corey Crider as Belfiore, the
fake King of Poland

Case closed, then?  Should we regard Un giorno di regno as an unfortunate parenthesis in Verdi’s otherwise stellar career?  Not so fast, ladies and gentlemen.  Verdi himself never referred to Un giorno di regno as a failure.  And he never suggested that he was not inclined to write a comic work at that time.  Although he was certainly mourning and under significant time pressure, he invested tremendous energy into the creation of this opera, working tirelessly on the score to the last minute.  Years ago, when I had the good fortune to examine for the first time Verdi’s autograph manuscript in Milan, Italy, I realized that almost every page showed the composer thinking carefully through his music, entering significant revisions in the vocal lines, polishing the orchestration, and concentrating on a variety of details.  At a very late stage, he even managed to compose a new closing section for the Act 1 trio and a new cabaletta for Edoardo’s aria at the beginning of Act 2. The original versions of these pieces, fully orchestrated, are still found in the autograph, and the audience of Sarasota Opera will be able to hear these pieces as they are performed for the first time at a concert on March 24. 


It is, indeed, Verdi’s autograph manuscript that has served as the basis for my critical edition, which receives its world premiere here at Sarasota on March 2nd.  This edition corrects a number of inaccuracies and arbitrary alterations present in other scores of the opera, which has often circulated under the title Il finto Stanislao.  I have done my very best to provide an edition that faithfully reflects Verdi’s intentions throughout.  And I know that the score is in excellent hands with Maestro DeRenzi and a wonderful lineup of singers.  Having lived with this opera for years I have grown to love its exhilarating comic duets, the deeply sentimental arias for the two prima donnas and for the tenor, and a few ensembles that, comic context notwithstanding, seem to foreshadow the rousing choruses of Verdi’s most successful works of the 1840s. 



Finally united in the end, the Cavaliere of Belfiore
and the Marchesa of Poggio



I am sure that the audience at Sarasota, too, will find that little-known Verdi opera can be the source of unexpected delight; it certainly offers new insights into the extraordinary composer who created it, as well as a glimpse into the fascinating world of mid-nineteenth-century opera buffa, where it can take pride of place next to Donizetti’s comic masterpieces, L’elisir d’amore and Don Pasquale.

Francesco Izzo



Stefano de Peppo as the Baron of Kelbar





Do not miss what promises to be a light hearted and fun evening at the opera!  Get your tickets today for Verdi's Un giorno di regno today by going online at www.sarasotaopera.org or by calling (941) 328-1300.