Sumi Hwang

South Korean soprano Sumi Hwang studied in Seoul and at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich. She gained widespread international attention in 2018 when she sang the Olympic anthem at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea, to an audience of more than 300 million TV viewers.

She has won several prizes, including first prize and the audience award at the international Grandi Voci competition and first prize at the Anneliese Rothenberger competition. After winning the 2014 Concours Reine Elisabeth Competition, she became a member of the permanent ensemble at Bonn Theatre, where she made her debut in roles such as as Micaëla in "Carmen", Lauretta in "Gianni Schicchi" and Susanna in "Le nozze die Figaro". Her repertoire also includes roles such as Almirena ("Rinaldo"), Cleopatra ("Giulio Cesare in Egitto"), Fiordiligi ("Così Fan Tutte"), Pamina ("Die Zauberflöte"), Marzelline ("Fidelio"), Leïla ("The Pearl Fishermen") and Mimì ("La Bohème").

International guest appearances have taken her to the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Korean National Opera in Seoul and the Daegu Opera House, amongst others. She is also in demand as a lieder and concert singer, and released her first solo album (with Helmut Deutsch at the piano) in the autumn of 2019. Sumi Hwang made her house debut at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden in 2018/19 in the role of Donna Anna in "Don Giovanni", followed by Micaëla in George Bizet's "Carmen". This season, she will grace the Wiesbaden stage again as Heavenly Voice in "Don Carlos", as well as Countess Almaviva in "Le nozze di Figaro".