PRM
Soprano Sumi Jo will join forces with SM Classics to release a special album and collaborate with Suho of EXO and Danny Koo. She will also continue with performances starting in Changwon on the 9th, embarking on a tour of more than twenty cities nationwide and a special stage at the Seoul Arts Center in September.
Marking the 40th anniversary of her debut on the global stage, Sumi Jo looks back on her musical journey and presents new challenges.
This 40th-anniversary project begins with the release of a special album, followed by a nationwide tour and the second Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition. As ‘CONTINUUM(Continuum)’ carries the meaning of ‘to continue without stopping’, the project not only commemorates past achievements but also encompasses new repertoire and stages, as well as the discovery of next-generation vocalists.
On May 6 at 2 p.m., at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Sumi Jo held a press conference to announce the meaning and detailed plans of her 40th-anniversary project. After making her international debut in 1986 at Teatro Verdi in Italy, she has performed on major stages worldwide, including La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Carnegie Hall, and the Salzburg Festival.
SM Classics
Praised as ‘a voice bestowed by God’ for her exceptional coloratura technique and clear timbre, she now, on the 40th anniversary of her debut, reflects on the past while continuing on a new musical path.
The first step of the 40th-anniversary project is a special album. For this album, she signed an exclusive agreement with SM Classics, the classical and jazz label of SM Entertainment, covering album and digital productiona collaboration noted for broadening the intersection between classical and popular music.
‘CONTINUUM’ is an album that both distills the past forty years of Sumi Jo and sets forth her future musical direction. It contains a total of eleven tracks, including highly demanding coloratura arias she has not previously recorded and new works by composers from Korea and abroad.
The album features a duet with Suho of EXO, a guest appearance by violinist Danny Koo, and participation by the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Choi Young-Seon. Adding a contemporary sensibility to the depth of core classical music, the album will showcase her musical breadth.
SMI Entertainment
She said, “This album is the fruit of forty years and also another beginning,” and added, “I want to keep challenging myself toward new music rather than remaining on familiar paths.”
The nationwide tour will raise its curtain on May 9 with a performance at Seongsan Art Center in Changwon. From May through December, it will continue across major cities nationwide, including Seoul, Bucheon, Yongin, Yeosu, Andong, Incheon, Daegu, Seongnam, Goyang, Gyeongju, Gwangju, Busan, and Daejeon.
In Seoul, two special stages will be held at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center in September. On September 4, a recital commemorating the 40th anniversary of her world-stage debut is scheduled, and on September 8, a performance titled ‘2026 The Magic, Sumi Jo and Winners’ will be staged with the winners of the Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition.
The tour both commemorates her forty years and presents the future stages she will share with the next generation of musicians.
SMI Entertainment
The 2nd Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition will take place from July 5 to 11 at the historic castle in the Loire region of central France, ‘Chateau de La Ferte Imbault(Château de La Ferté-Imbault)’.
The competition is an international vocal event established to discover next-generation opera stars and support the entry of young singers onto the global stage. At the inaugural edition held in 2024, about 500 applicants from 47 countries around the world applied, and among Korean singers, tenor Lee Gi-eop placed third.
This year, alongside the existing video screening, overseas on-site live auditions were also held to select participants. On-site auditions took place in Shenzhen, China, and Singapore, and the selected participants are included among the 24 main-round contestants who will compete with vocalists from around the world.
A total of 24 will advance to the main round, and among them 9 will reach the final round. The three final prizewinners will receive prize money and, starting in 2026, the opportunity to appear on Korean stages with Sumi Jo. During the competition period, various programs, including masterclasses, recitals, and gala concerts, will also be held.
SMI Entertainment
The year 2026 marks the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, and this competition adds significance as a vehicle for cultural exchange through music.
Sumi Jo has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Samsung Ho-Am Prize in the Arts. The Ho-Am Foundation highly recognized her four decades of activity on top international stages that elevated the stature of Korean music, as well as her continued social-contribution efforts.
She has consistently fulfilled her social role as an artist, including donating special wheelchairs for children with disabilities, conducting rescue and adoption campaigns for stray dogs, establishing an education center in Africa in cooperation with UNICEF, and serving as a UNESCO ‘Artist for Peace’. The awards ceremony will be held on June 1, and the laureates will receive a certificate, a medal, and prize money.
She said, “The past forty-some years were a time when I walked forward trusting in music alone on unfamiliar stages, a journey that trained me at every moment and pushed me ahead,” adding, “Wherever I have stood in the world, I have always sung with the name of the Republic of Korea held deep in my heart.”
SMI Entertainment
She added, “I hope to continue conveying a lasting resonance that stays in people’s hearts through music,” and, “I hope the forthcoming 40th-anniversary stages will become occasions to share with audiences our gratitude for the years past and the new journey ahead.”
