World-renowned soprano Sumi Jo will mark her 40th anniversary with a new album, released in partnership with SM Entertainment’s classical and jazz label, SM Classics.
SM Entertainment said on April 21 that it had signed an exclusive contract with Jo for album and music production. Jo will join SM Classics as its first exclusive recording artist and will lead a slate of new recordings and projects.
Her first project will be Continuum, a special album due next month to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her international debut. The 11-track collection spans Jo’s past, present and future, and features contributions from prominent Korean and international composers, including Yiruma, Park Jong-hoon and Kim Jin-hwan.
EXO’s Suho will join Jo for a duet, and violinist Danny Gu will appear as a featured guest — part of an effort to blur the lines between classical and popular music.
“The album ranges from technically demanding coloratura arias I’ve never recorded to new works by contemporary composers,” Jo said. “It’s an effort to bridge the heritage of traditional classical music with a modern sensibility.”
Jo will embark on a nationwide tour in South Korea next month and will stage the second Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition in France this July.
She made her international debut in 1986 at Teatro Verdi in Trieste, Italy, performing in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and has since built a career as a world-renowned soprano.
