Returning to the Met Stage After Five Years, Park Delivers Impromptu Performance

Courtesy of Etoile Classic

Korean soprano Park So-young took on the lead role of Juliette in Charles Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on Saturday. This impromptu performance came about when soprano Nadine Sierra fell ill just two hours before the show. Park had been serving as Sierra's cover throughout the seven-performance run of the opera from March 7 to 27.
 

▲ Soprano Park So-young / Courtesy of Etoile ClassicPark, who previously debuted at the Met as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" in January 2019, had prior experience as Juliette in the Seoul Metropolitan Opera's production in 2022. Her familiarity with the role, as well as her rehearsals for the Met's production and her collaboration with French tenor Benjamin Bernheim, who played Romeo, contributed to her seamless performance.

Recommended by the Met's casting director based on her rehearsal video from the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, Park's return to the New York stage marks a significant moment in her career trajectory. Born in Busan in 1986, Park studied at Seoul National University and the New England Conservatory of Music before pursuing opera in the United States. 

▲ Korean soprano Park So-young, right, poses with French tenor Benjamin Bernheim / Courtesy of Etoile ClassicPark's versatility as a soprano, transitioning from coloratura to lyric soprano style, has been noted by her agency Etoile Classic. Her past engagements include performances at the LA Opera and roles in productions such as Corigliano's "The Ghosts of Versailles," which earned Grammy Awards in 2017.

After her performance at the Met, Park is set to return to Seoul for a performance of Mahler Symphony No. 4 with the Jeonju Symphony Orchestra at the Seoul Arts Center on April 11 as part of the 2024 Orchestra Festival.

Sayart 

Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com