Australian opera has been a huge influence on the renowned Korean singer Sumi Jo.
"I actually began to hear Dame Joan Sutherland sing from the womb of my mother," Jo told SBS Korean radio this week.
She explained that her mother too "had dreamed of being a vocalist."
"And I was actually motivated to become a vocalist when I saw Dame Joan Sutherland and her husband Richard Bonynge perform in Korea."
The most famous musician to come from Korea, Sumi Jo is renowned for the precision, agility, and warmth of her voice. Her tips to maintaining such a spectacular voice?
"I never drink alcohol nor eat fried food," says Jo. "Instead Ialways carry dark chocolate and eat Korean ginseng so as to keep my voice and health for the best stage."
Her career soared when she came to the attention of maestro Herbert von Karajan, who described hers as a voice from above.
"He had been praising me as the voice of heaven," she tells SBS. "And he just looked like a very ordinary grandfather when I was first auditioned by him."
It was a very surreal experience, Jo explains, "as I had greeted him in his portrait every morning and evening during my school life."
Since then she has performed with the world's leading conductors in the most famous opera houses and concert halls and is a Grammy Award winner. This year her rendition of 'Simple Song #3' by David Lang, from the film Youth was nominated for an Oscar:
Jo's new performance tour, the fifth in Australia since her concert for the Sydney Olympics, will kick off this week in Canberra on 19th November, followed by concerts in Sydney on the 21st and Melbourne on the 26th.
The Canberra leg of the tour will bring back some particularly fond memories. "I was so inspired to meet the children with disability in Canberra when I visited there 4 years ago," she says.
"Since then I have been caring for Korean children with disability and I am looking forward to music-sharing life as a UNESCO Artist for Peace and offering charity concerts to those in need."
Jo now has the special title of UNESCO Artist for Peace - an honorary goodwill ambassador spreading the message and helping to raise funds to build schools in Africa and Asia.
Audiences on this Australian tour will have the opportunity to hear greatly loved works associated with the iconic diva Maria Callas as well as many of Sumi Jo's other favourite arias and songs. Jo will also be accompanied by acclaimed pianist Gary Matthewman, a sought-after collaborator with many great singers.
Maria Callas's name has become synonymous with 'Bel Canto', the repertoire of which is marked by brilliant and beautiful singing. Generations of music-lovers have been captivated by her dazzling renditions of the great coloratura roles in bel canto era operas such as Lucia di Lammermoor, I Puritani, La Sonnambula, and The Barber of Seville. Sumi Jos thrilling interpretations of these same roles have also brought audiences to their feet.
Jo's Australian tour will wrap up with her performing the opening number at the upcoming Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Brisbane.
Below: A 2004 performance of 'Ave Maria' by Sumi Jo has gained nearly 3 million views on YouTube :
Listen Sumi Jo's full interview with SBS Korean Radio (in Korean), below:
