Korean Cultural Center New York presents celebrated Soprano Hera Hyesang Park's Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall debut with Songs of Her

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea and the Korea Music Foundation is pleased to co-present the debut of Soprano Hera Hyesang Park, Songs of Her, at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Friday, March 3rd at 7:30 pm.

Hera Hyesang Park, hailed by The New York Times for her "bright, clear voice and impressive coloratura technique," will hold a debut performance at the renowned Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall stage for a special program celebrating Women's History Month and the 70th Anniversary of the ROK-U.S. Alliance. Featuring works by pioneering female composer Amy Beach as well as world premieres from Korean composers Hyowon Woo and Gihieh Lee's special arrangements, the program highlights the dynamic lives and artistic perspectives of those who identify as women. 

The three-part program is curated by Park herself to showcase the multidimensional range of a person's life and the different ways that we reflect upon what it means to be a woman, from gentle tenderness to passion and power. Highlighting her opulent vocals with the complexity and range for which she is known, the selected pieces feature Korean folk songs arranged specially for Park, classic lullabies, as well as the dynamic, rhythmic sounds of tango.

The program begins with songs by three of the most recognized female composers of our time: Amy Beach, known as the first female composer to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra and one of the first US female composers to have her music be recognized globally; Cecilia Livingston, Composer-in-Residence at the Canadian Opera Company and Glyndebourne Festival, specializing in composition for voice; Hyowon Woo, one of Korea's most prominent composers of choral music blending elements of Korean traditional music and Western techniques. Woo's rearrangements of the Korean traditional melodies of Gasiri and Arirang are world premieres, and were specially created for Park's performance at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall.

Motherhood becomes the focus of the middle section of the program in a series of lullabies by Paurillo Barroso, María Grever, Xavier Montsalvatge, and Jaime León. To finish the evening with compositions encapsulating love and positivity, Ms. Park offers a rhythmic finale of Consuelo Velázquez's passionate bolero, "Amar y Vivir" and rising Korean composer Gihieh Lee's "Llegas de Amor," with lyrics by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca, and one of the arias featured in 13 FRUITCAKES (the first Korean LGBTQ Musical Extravaganza premiered at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York in 2019).

Program

Hera Hyesang Park, Soprano

Hailed by The New York Times for her "bright, clear voice and impressive coloratura technique," Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park is attracting the attention of opera houses and concert houses worldwide.

In the 2022-23 season, Hyesang returned to the Staatsoper Berlin for Adina L'elisir d'amore and looks forward to her role debut as Nannetta Falstaff at The Metropolitan Opera and Pamina Die Zauberflöte at the Teatro Colón Buenos Aires. In concert, she sings Mahler's Symphony No. 4 with San Diego Symphony and Naples Philharmonic as well as performances of Handel's Messiah with St. Paul's Chamber Orchestra and Galatea Acis and Galatea in concert with Philharmonia Baroque. Hyesang will also give recital and concert performances on tour in Mexico, South America and South Korea.

The 2021-22 season saw Hyesang triumph in three role debuts: Pamina The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera; Susanna Le Nozze di Figaro at Glyndebourne Festival and Adina at Staatsoper Berlin. She also made her Opéra National de Paris debut in Marina Abramovic's Seven Deaths of Maria Callas. On the concert stage, Hyesang gave gala performances with the New York Philharmonic and Prague Philharmonia as well as a multi-city tour of South Korea.

Other recent highlights for Hyesang include Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia and Despina Così fan tutte at Glyndebourne Festival, Despina for her Bayerische Staatsoper debut, Amore Orfeo ed Euridice at the Met, Musetta in Barrie Kosky's new production of La bohème and the title role of Paul Abraham's Dschainah at Komische Oper Berlin, and Juliette Roméo et Juliette at Korea National Opera. In concert, she has appeared with the New York Philharmonic; Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem at Carnegie Hall; Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Seoul Philharmonic; Haydn's Missa in tempore belli at the Tongyeong International Music Festival, and a Mozart arias concert program with the Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Massimo Zanetti. Ms. Park is an avid recital singer, and has appeared on prestigious stages including Vocal Arts DC, Alice Tully Hall, Friends of Chamber Music in Miami, Montreal's Bourgie Hall, and Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Musica.

Hyesang is a graduate of the Met's prestigious Lindemann Young Artist program, during which she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as the First Sprite in a new production of Rusalka conducted by Sir Mark Elder. She also sang Barbarina Le Nozze di Figaro conducted by Harry Bicket and the Dew Fairy Hansel & Gretel conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles.

Hera Hyesang Park records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon. Her debut album I am Hera was released in November 2020.

Katelan Trần Terrell, Pianist

Pianist Katelan Trần Terrell has been a member of the Metropolitan Opera music staff since 2019. She has also been a coach at the Opera Academy of the Grand Theatre-National Opera in Warsaw, the Tokyo International Vocal Arts Academy, and at the Chautauqua Institution Voice Program. As a song recitalist, she has performed at Alice Tully Hall, The Red House, Weill Recital Hall, and Wigmore Hall, where she and tenor Matthew Swensen were the recipients of the 2019 Jean Meikle Prize for Best Duo at the Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera International Song Competition.

She is an alumna of the Franz-Schubert-Institut in Baden-bei-Wien, The Song Continues at Carnegie Hall, SongFest, and the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme at Snape Maltings. She received her Bachelor of Music at the Eastman School of Music under Nelita True and went on to obtain her Master of Music at the Juilliard School under Jonathan Feldman, Margo Garrett, JJ Penna, and Brian Zeger. She then continued her studies at the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program under Diane Richardson and Warren Jones.

Korean Cultural Center New York

Inaugurated in 1979, the Korean Cultural Center New York is a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea. KCCNY works to promote cultural arts exchange and stimulate interest in Korean culture through various opportunities including exhibitions, concerts, film festivals, educational programs, and more. www.koreanculture.org

Korea Music Foundation

In 1984, the Korea Music Foundation was chartered in the State of New York as a non-profit organization. Since its inception, the Foundation has presented over 300 solo New York debut recitals at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, 7 Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble's debut concerts at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center and has presented established artists in concert for fundraising events at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, including Kun-Woo Paik, Dong-Suk Kang, Young Uck Kim, Alissa Park, HaeSun Paik and Daejin Kim. In 1999, KMF inaugurated a chamber music series at the Korean Cultural Service New York and presented over 400 musicians at this venue. Since 2001, KMF launched the KMF Virtuoso Concert Series at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, presenting over 40 international musicians in chamber music concerts. koreamusicfoundation.org

For press inquiries:
Mickey Hyun [email protected]

SOURCE Korean Cultural Center New York