Kyu-Won Han is a Korean-American

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

who has had an active international

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

career for the last two decades.

Life and career

Kyu-Won Han was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1972. After receiving his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

, Han made his debut in 1999 as Masetto in ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

'' at the San Francisco Opera. An alumnus of its prestigious Adler Fellowship Program and the Merola Opera Program, he also featured in '' Turandot'', ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' and '' Madame Butterfly'' among others. In 2001 Han made his European debut as Ping in the Opera National du Rhin production of "Turandot"; he appeared as Papageno in ''

Die Zauberflote ''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a '' Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inc ...

'' with the New National Theater of Tokyo. His recent performances include the role of ''Figaro'' in the Opera National de Bordeaux production of ''

Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'' and double roles as Yamadori and Sharpless in "Madame Butterfly" at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center. Han is also active on the concert stage, and his credits include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, and Mahler's Eighth Symphony, Mendelssohn's "Elijah", "Carmina Burana" among numerous others. He is the recipient of many awards that include the Belvedere Competition, the Oratorio Society Competition, the Licia Albanese/ Puccini Competition, and the Di Capo Opera Competition to name a few. Han also released his debut CD, "Questo Amor", from Avex Classics. He also sings "Nim Ui No Rae", main theme from the Korean TV Drama '' King Sejong the Great''.

Operatic roles

*Morales in ''

'' *Frank in '' Die Fledermaus'' *Don Giovanni, Masetto in ''

'' *Prince Yamadori, Sharpless in '' Madame Butterfly'' *Maak in ''

Mae Naak Mae Nak Phra Khanong ( th, แม่นากพระโขนง, meaning 'Lady Nak of Phra Khanong'), or simply Mae Nak ( th, แม่นาก, 'Lady Nak') or Nang Nak ( th, นางนาก, 'Miss Nak'), is a well-known Thai ghost. Acc ...

'' *King of Kashii in '' The Silent Prince'' *Scarpia in ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' *Ping in '' Turandot'' *Papageno in '' Die Zauberflöte'' *

Concerts

*Beethoven's '' Ninth Symphony'' *Beethoven's ''

Missa Solemnis {{Audio, De-Missa solemnis.ogg, Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass, and is a genre of musical settings of the Mass Ordinary, which are festively scored and render the Latin text extensively, opposed to the more modest Missa brevis. In French ...

'' *Brahms's ''

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

'' *Faure's ''

'' *Handel's ''

Messiah In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; , ; , ; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of ''mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach'' ...

'' *Mahler's '' Eighth Symphony'' *Mozart's ''

Coronation Mass A Coronation Mass is a Eucharistic celebration, in which a special liturgical act, the coronation of an image of Mary, is performed. The coronation of an image of Mary is an act of devotion to her. It expresses the belief that Mary as mother ...

'' *Schubert's '' Mass No.2'' *Berstein's ''

Chichester Psalms ''Chichester Psalms'' is an extended choral composition in three movements by Leonard Bernstein for boy treble or countertenor, choir and orchestra. The text was arranged by the composer from the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew. Part 1 ...

'' *Saint-Saëns's '' Oratorio de Noel'' *Mendelssohn's '' Elijah'' *Orff's '' Carmina Burana''

References

*''Mae Naak'': Review by Ken Smith in Opera Magazine, January 2006 * http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/33561/mae-naak

External links

Artist's profile on Avex Classics

American operatic baritones Living people 1972 births South Korean emigrants to the United States 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers {{US-opera-singer-stub