Biography

Coloratura Soprano

Since
her Metropolitan Opera debut
in 2007

Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2007, Kathleen Kim’s international profile has continued to rise with consistent critical acclaim reflecting the excitement she generates at many of the world’s premiere opera houses and concert halls.

The current season brings two company debuts: at La Monnaie as Oscar in Alex Ollé’s production of Un Ballo in maschera under Carlo Rizzi; and at Oper Frankfurt as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos under Patrick Lange. Additionally, she returns to San Diego Opera as Madame Mao under Joseph Mechavich.
In 2013/2014 season at the Metropolitan Opera as the enchanted Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, conducted by James Conlon. The Met production of Shakespeare’s magical romance commemorates the centennial of the composer, Benjamin Britten. As part of the centennial celebration, Ms. Kim also performs in concert with the Met at Le Poisson Rouge alongside Patricia Racette in an evening of music by Britten and Nico Muhly. For the holidays, she performs Handel’s Messiah in concert with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. In 2014, Ms. Kim reprises her outstanding portrayal of Oscar in Un ballo in maschera in her debut at the San Diego Opera, followed by her highly anticipated Italian debut at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, reprising the roles of Fire, Princess, and Nightingale in L’enfant et les sortilèges. Later in the season, Ms. Kim returns to the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra as a guest soloist under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung.

Kathleen Kim made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2007 and has since been the subject of both glowing reviews and intense international interest. She has been heralded as “spectacular” by Opera News and “a revelation” and “tiny dynamo” by the Chicago Sun-Times. The Chicago Tribune raved that Ms. Kim “nailed her stratospheric coloratura aria with a precise, penetrating soprano.” Such critical acclaim reflects the excitement Kathleen Kim generates at many of the world’s premiere opera houses and concert halls. Ms. Kim’s extensive career at the Met includes performances as Olympia in Bartlett Sher’s production of Les contes d’Hoffmann, conducted by James Levine; as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos conducted by Kirill Petrenko; and as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda in 2007 and by Fabio Luisi in 2012. She was hailed by critics for her role as Chiang Ch’ing in the Met’s iconic premiere of Nixon in China, directed by Peter Sellars and conducted by John Adams. Ms. Kim has also reprised her acclaimed portrayal of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos in the Met’s popular Elijah Moshinsky production, conducted by Fabio Luisi.

Operatic highlights elsewhere include Die Zauberflöte at Atlanta Opera, Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Minnesota Opera, Nixon in China at the Chicago Opera Theater and Un ballo in maschera, directed by Renata Scotto and conducted by Asher Fisch at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Well-versed in the baroque style, Ms. Kim has performed in Händel’s Rinaldo as Armida and Amadigi di Gaula as Melissa for Central City Opera, and in Agrippina as Poppea for Boston Lyric Opera. Bilbao saw Kathleen Kim’s European operatic debut as Marie in La Fille du régiment with the Asociación Bilbaína de Amigos de la Ópera. She made her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in 2010 as Die Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte, and returned in 2013 to reprise the role of Olympia in Richard Jones’ acclaimed production of Les contes d’Hoffmann, conducted by Emmanuel Villaume.
Ms. Kim has also performed numerous times in Korea. In 2010, she was a guest soloist at the Independence Day Celebration Concert of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She returned the following year for Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, which is recorded for commercial release on the Deutsche Grammophon label. She most recently appeared in concert at the Seoul Arts Center in 2013.
The 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 seasons also brought several role debuts for Ms. Kim: the title role in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at Sarasota Opera, La Fée in Massenet’s Cendrillon at Opéra de Lille, and the roles of Fire, Princess, and Nightingale in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges in Laurent Pelly’s highly acclaimed production at the Glyndebourne Festival. Ms. Kim made her BBC Proms debut in Nixon in China with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, as well as her debut with the Oslo Philharmonic singing Mozart’s Mass in C minor under the baton of Manfred Honeck. In the 2012/2013 season, Ms. Kim reprised her role as Oscar in David Alden’s production of Un ballo in maschera at the Met. She performed as Olympia in Les contes d’Hoffman in both Richard Jones’ acclaimed production for the Bayerische Staatsoper under Emmanuel Villaume and Laurent Pelly’s new production at the Gran Teatre del Liceu under Stéphane Denève.
Kathleen Kim has been recognized with numerous prizes and awards, including a Sullivan Foundation Award, Sarasota Opera Guild’s Leo Rogers Scholarship, and the Rose Ann Grund Scholarship of the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation voice competition in Chicago. She was a prize winner of the Mario Lanza Competition, a National Finalist of the MacAllister Awards, and a prize winner of the Liederkranz Competition.
A graduate of the Ryan Opera Center of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ms. Kim appeared during her apprenticeship as Adele in Die Fledermaus, First Priestess in Iphigénie en Tauride, Page in Rigoletto, Milliner in Der Rosenkavalier, and Frasquita in Carmen. She received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music.
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  • This formidable performance of ‘Les oiseaux dans la charmille’ is by soprano Kathleen Kim in The Metropolitan Opera’s production – at 1m50 she needs winding up again…

    Classix FM

  • Petite soprano Kathleen Kim lures opera fans with big voice.Korea Times

    Kwaak Je-yup / M3 projects

  • "She has had success singing Zerbinetta and Olympia, and she seems much better suited to that repertoire"

    Natasha Gauthier / Opera Canada

“The jewel of this evening is certainly the soprano Kathleen Kim… who delivers crystal clear singing, secure high notes and a timbre , of exquisite freshness.”

– ClassiqueInfo –