Hera Hyesang Park, Soprano

Biography

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“…her singing as Rossini’s determinedly provocative heroine Rosina is indeed phenomenal, especially as she started out to some eyes — well, my eyes — only acting like an alluring spitfire rather than actually being one.” Geoff Brown, The Times

In the 2019-20 season, Ms. Park will join forces with Marina Abramović for 7 Deaths of Maria Callas which will have its world premiere at the Bayerische Staatsoper followed by performances at the Maggio Musical Fiorentino and Greek National Theater. Ms. Park’s operatic engagements include returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Amore in the Mark Morris production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, the Komische Oper Berlin as Lylo in Paul Abraham’s Dschainah, das Mädchen aus dem Tanzhaus, and Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto directed by Barrie Kosky. In concert with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester she will perform and record Rossini’s Le Comte Ory. She will also debut at the Washington National Cathedral singing Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle in addition to performing the Brahms Requiem with the New York Choral Society. A solo recital with piano brings her to Buenos Aires. The season concludes with Mr. Park’s Santa Fe Opera debut creating the role of Comrade Chin/Shu Fang in Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly, a world premiere.

Last season Ms. Park returned to Glyndebourne as Rosina in Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia and she made her house debut as Musetta in Barrie Kosky’s new production of La bohème at the Komische Oper Berlin. In concert, she made her Münchner Rundfunkorchester debut recording Rossini’s Sigismondo – now released on the BR-Klassiks label. An artist on the rise, Ms. Park made concert and recital debuts with the Gyeonggi Philharmonic in Korea and at Suseong Artpia in Daegu respectively. In North American, her solo recitals included debuts at Vocal Arts DC and Alice Tully Hall in New York. She also sang Giordani’s “Caro mio ben” on the soundtrack to Lulu Wang’s film The Farewell which received worldwide acclaim.

During the 2017-2018 Ms. Park made opera debuts at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Metropolitan Opera and the Glyndebourne Opera Festival. In that same season, Ms. Park’s flare for fashion brought her to the attention of Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue magazine, who personally dressed her for the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art 2018 Gala where she performed alongside the Sistine Chapel Choir and Madonna. Ms. Park has appeared in Vogue Korea, W Magazine, and The New York Times, amongst others.

Other career highlights include Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette with the Korea National Opera and concerts with the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Opera. While at Juilliard, Ms. Park sang Amina in La Sonnambula and Fiorilla in Il Turco in Italia, for which 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 recent awards include the 2018 Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award, 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 division.

Ms. Park graduated from The Juilliard School with an Artist Diploma in Opera Studies as well as a Master’s Degree. She currently resides in New York City.