Soprano Sumi Jo marks 40 years on world stage, signs with SM Entertainment

Soprano Sumi Jo, the first Asian to win seven major international vocal competitions, is celebrating 40 years on the global stage with a new exclusive recording deal with SM Entertainment and an 11-track album titled "Continuum," she announced at a press conference Wednesday, according to The Korea Times.

Jo's career stands as a landmark for Asian performers in Western classical music — she is the first Korean to win a Grammy for Best Opera Recording and the first Asian prima donna at five of the world's leading opera houses. Her partnership with SM Entertainment aims to bring classical music to wider audiences through K-pop's global distribution infrastructure.

Jo made her international debut in 1986 at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Italy, performing the role of Gilda in "Rigoletto." Over four decades she became the first Asian singer to win seven major international vocal competitions and the first Asian and Korean prima donna at five of the world's top opera houses, including La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera, the Korea Times reported.

Her accolades include a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording — the first for an Asian or Korean artist — and France's Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

The new album, "Continuum" — Latin for "to continue" — features 11 tracks with works by composers Yiruma, Park Jong-hoon and Kim Jin-hwan. "The title of the special album is a Latin word meaning 'to continue,' and rather than piecing together songs that I have already sung as a classical artist, I wanted to reinterpret my life through new music and another kind of language," Jo said.

SM Chief A&R Officer Lee Sung-soo called the partnership "an honor and a new starting point for K-pop's long-term growth through deeper engagement with classical music."

Among her most memorable career moments, Jo cited a 2000 performance with North Korean musicians, saying it confirmed "that we truly are one people." She added: "Forty years is not an end but a new beginning."

Jo will perform in 20 domestic cities between May and December, with a commemorative recital and gala at the Seoul Arts Center in September. The second Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition, first held in 2024, is scheduled for France next year.