“Sookhyung Park sang a heartfelt, psychologically concentrated Daphne, riding the swirling, euphoric orchestra lines with never a crease in the pearly sheen of her lovely sound. There are many reasons to see this opera, but Park is the biggest one” Globe and Mail, Elissa Poole
SookhyungPark has made her mark as a lyric coloratura soprano whose performances are notable for unusual beauty of voice, extraordinary range, astonishing agility and sincere musical artistry. In recent seasons, Ms. Park has been heard as Blondchen in DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL for Opera Ontario, as Lucia in THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA, as Daphne in DAPHNE and as Violetta in LA TRAVIATA for Pacific Opera Victoria, as Elvira in L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI for Vancouver Opera, as Lucia in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR for Organizacion Para Las Artes, and as Königin der Nacht in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE for both Seoul Arts Center and Seongnam Arts Center. She was praised by critics in The Record, Times Colonist, and The Globe & Mail, among others: “Sookhyung Park gives a striking performance delivering ecstatic, beautiful, pure and ethereal arias”, “sang a heartfelt, psychologically concentrated Daphne with never a crease in the pearly sheen of her lovely sound. There are many reasons to see this opera, but Park is the biggest one”, “Park heartbreakingly suggested vulnerability”, “Ms. Park is so charismatic that she establishes an immediate and solid relationship with the public”, “singing with refinement and poise”, and “her naturalness and spontaneous liveliness on stage”.
On the concert platform, she appeared with Opera at Florham’s Concert Series, with both Grand Philharmonic Choir and Chorus Niagara in Mozart’s MASS IN C MINOR, with Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in Mozart’s REQUIEM, Mozart’s THAMOS KÖNIG IN ÄGYPTEN and Haydn’s DIE SCHÖPFUNG, with both Grand Philharmonic Choir and Bach Elgar Choir in Handel’s MESSIAH, and with Organizacion Para Las Artes in Beethoven’s CHRISTUS AM ÖLBERGE. She was presented in recital by the Center for Contemporary Opera at Carnegie Hall, by Elora Festival, and by Manchester Music Festival. She also sang Königin der Nacht in DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung with Asia Philharmonic Orchestra and invited to sing in the European Opera Gala Concert at Seoul Arts Center.
Ms. Park has been a prizewinner in many distinguished music competitions including the 9th Annual International Vocal Competition of the Gerda Lissner Foundation (Second Place Award, 2004), the International Opera Singers Competition (Second Place Award, 2003), Vocal Excellence Competition (First Place Award, 2003), and the 15th Annual Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition (Second Place Award, 2002). Further recognition has come from the National Opera Association Vocal Competition (First Place Award, 2002), Regional Audition of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Encouragement Award, 2000), Canadian Lyric International Competition (First Place Award, 1998), the NATS Auditions (First Place Award 1998), and Toni Cavelti Endowment Trust Fund Award (1999) from the Vancouver Opera Foundation.
Her stage repertoire encompasses Despina in COSI FAN TUTTE, Susanna in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Gilda in RIGOLETTO, Zerbinetta in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Marie in LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT, Olympia in LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN, Fiakermilli in ARABELLA, Amina in LA SONNAMBULA, and Anne in THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR. Orchestral highlights include Bach’s CANTATA BWV 84 and CANTATA BWV 51, Mozart’s EXULTATE JUBILATE, VESPERAE SOLENNES DE CONFESSORE, MASS IN C MAJOR, GRABMUSIK, and THAMOS, KONIG IN ÄGYPTEN, Vivaldi’s GLORIA, Orff's CARMINA BURANA, and Gounod’s MESSE SOLENNELLE DE SAINTE CÉCILE.
Ms. Park holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from Yonsei University in Korea and a Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes College of Music in New York City. She also studied at the University of British Columbia as an Advanced Guest Student.
Così fan tutte Le nozze di Figaro Entführung aus dem Serail Die Zauberflöte
Nicolai
Anne
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Offenbach
Olympia
Les contes d'Hoffmann
Rossini
Elvira
L’italiana in Algeri
Strauss, R
Fiakermilli Zerbinetta Daphne
Arabella Ariadne auf Naxos Daphne
Verdi
Gilda Violetta
Rigoletto La traviata
CONCERT/ORATORIO
Bach, J.S.
Cantata BWV 51 Cantata BWV 84
Beethoven
Christus am Ölberge
Gounod
Messe Solennelle de Saint Cécile
Handel
Messiah
Haydn
Die Schöpfung
Mozart
Exultate Jubilate Grabmusik KV 42 Mass in C Major Mass in C minor Requiem Thamos, König in Ägypten Vesperae solennes de confessore KV 339
Orff
Carmina Burana
Vivaldi
Gloria
AWARDS & PRIZES
2004 Second Prize of the 9th Annual International Vocal Competition of theGerda Lissner Foundation 2003 Second Prize of the International Opera Singers Competition 2003 First Prize of the Vocal Excellence Competition 2002 Second Prize of the Violetta DuPont Vocal Competition 2002 First Prize of the National Opera Assoc. Vocal Competition 2000 Encouragement Award in the Regional Audition of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions 1998 First Prize of the NATS auditions 1998 First Prize of the Jeunes Ambassadeur Lyriques competition
Asia Philharmonic Orchestra Bach Elgar Choir Contemporary Opera (Carnegie Hall) Chorus Niagara Elora Festival Grand Philharmonic Choir Korean Symphony Orchestra Manchester Music Festival Opera at Florham’s Concerts Series Opera Ontario Orchestra London Organizacion Para Las Artes, Guatemala Pacific Opera Victoria Seongnam Arts Center Seoul Arts Center Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Vancouver Opera Yonsei Opera
“Elegant soprano and engaging chorus make La traviata a grand success. Violetta is sung by the soprano Sookhyung Park, making her debut in the role. Her voice is agile and elegant, radiant in tone throughout its range. She is an impressive actor, too. In Act 1 she comes across more as a soubrette than as a notorious, cynical courtesan with a jaded palate. But later, she gives highly charged and convincing accounts of Violetta's changing, often confused, emotional states, and at the end, dying, bathed in white light, her redeemed heroine positively glows.” Victoria Times Colonist - Kevin Gazzana, October 2009
“[in translation] The star of the evening was the Korean-Canadian soprano Sookhyung Park. Ms. Park is so charismatic that she establishes an immediate and solid relationship with the public. To her impeccable technique, she adds a convincing corporal and facial expression. Her participation in the second act, after having murdered her husband, the Mad Scene is impressive. The dialog that she establishes with the flute makes it the most notable moment in this production. She has a very beautiful color of voice and a great ability to project with no effort in the whole auditorium.” El Periodico - Gustavo Berganza, October 2008 (Organizacion Para Las Artes, Guatamala)
“[in translation] The performance of soprano Sookhyung Park, whose sorrow and sadness was fully captured in her voice, did not let a single eye withdraw from the scene. It was she, in her role as Lucia, who left the awestruck audience in complete silence throughout the entire work. But after the last act of Lucia, the applause for Park left her surrounded by ovations and flowers from the Guatemalan public. The madness that drove the actor to death was left mingling in the air even after she left the stage.” Siglo 21- Gabriel Arana, October 2008
“Some of the most impressive singing came from South Korean soprano Sookhyung Park, who negotiated her coloratura with ease and passion and a strong but silvery sound. As Elvira, the Sultan's jettisoned wife, we simply didn't get enough of her.” Globe and Mail - Elissa Poole, February 2008
“There's no faulting soprano Sookhyung Park who sang a heartfelt, psychologically concentrated Daphne, riding the swirling, euphoric orchestra lines with never a crease in the pearly sheen of her lovely sound. There are many reasons to see this opera, but Park is the biggest one.” Globe and Mail - Elissa Poole, February 2007
“Soprano Sookhyung Park's petite, lissome stature and graceful demeanor were perfect for Daphne's delicacy and vulnerability. But it was her supremely lyrical voice, sailing effortlessly above the swirling orchestral counterpoint for a huge portion of the one-act opera's 90 minutes that reaped the bravi at curtain on February 22.” Opera Canada - Robert Jordan
“Sookhyung Park gives a striking performance as the other - worldly nymph Daphne. Her arias are beautiful, pure, ecstatic and ethereal.” Times Colonist - Grania Litwin
“In the punishing role of Daphne, on stage for almost the whole of the opera's continuous 100 minute playing time, Sookhyung Park heartbreakingly suggested vulnerability and confusion. Her awkwardness in her community was convincingly suggested by a body language that conveyed increasing stress and pain, while her final transformation into a tree.” Review Vancouver - J H Stape
“Sookhyung Park is a sweet, soaring Lucia promising great things when she returns next year to sing the title role in Strauss’s DAPHNE.” Times Colonist (Victoria) – Grania Litwin
“Sookhyung Park's clear exhilarating soprano enlivened the servant role of Lucia.” Globe and Mail - Elissa Poole
“Sookhyung Park was a sympathetic Lucia, her beautiful soprano floats on the air and suggests great promise as her voice blooms into full maturity. Her sympathetic Lucia is yet further testimony to first-class casting.” Review Vancouver - J H Stape
“Perhaps the most magical passage of the evening was the Et incarnatus est section of the Mass. Park entered with a soaring melody line that was never hurried and never forced. She demonstrated as a singer what Mozart often achieved as a composer - an ability to take what could be dry words (in this a clause from a statement of faith) and imbue them with strong personal feeling and powerful emotion.” The Record - Mark Bachmann
“Korean soprano Sookhyung Park made a delightful Blonde. It was clear that English is not her native language but her plucky acting and naturalness on stage carried her through the dialogue. She sang with refinement and poise.” Stage Door – Christopher Hoile
“Sookhyung Park’s saucy Blonde delighted the audience, both with her round-toned agile soprano voice and the spontaneous liveliness of her character.” THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAGLIO – Opera Hamilton View Magazine – Lisbie and Mike Rae
“Park is a new talent who sports a feathery light coloratura. She is one to watch.” (An Evening of Mozart, Mendelssohn Choir) Classical 96 FM – Paula Citron
