Lim Hyung Joo (born 7 May 1986) is a South Korean

operatic pop Operatic pop or popera is a subgenre of pop music that is performed in an operatic singing style or a song, theme or motif from classical music stylized as pop. The subgenre is often performed by classical crossover singers and acts, although that ...

(popera) tenor and

classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United States) when a song appears on two or more of the record charts which track differ ...

singer. He has sold more than 1.2 million (1,200,000) records worldwide, including over 1 million (1,000,000) in South Korea, and his total digital songs, singles and albums (including digital downloads, streaming and ringtone service) sold more than 10 million (10,000,000) units.

Life and career

Lim Hyung Joo released his first solo album at the age of 12 in 1998. He made his debut as

popera Operatic pop or popera is a subgenre of pop music that is performed in an operatic singing style or a song, theme or motif from classical music stylized as pop. The subgenre is often performed by classical crossover singers and acts, although that ...

tenor at the age of 17 years in 2003. On 25 February that year, at the inauguration day of the 16th president of Republic of Korea, he was the youngest person to sing the national anthem of Korea. His performance had been aired abroad. In addition, Lim Hyung Joo had a first solo concert abroad in June 2003, at the New York's

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. He was the youngest Korean male vocalist to give a solo concert in that venue. The performance was very highly received. Lim performed with the world's major venues and orchestras. He gave performances in New York's

Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assist ...

at the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

, and

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...

& Orpheum Theatrein Los Angeles, Main Hall of Knafel Center at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

St John's Smith Square St John's Smith Square is a redundant church in the centre of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored as a concert hall. This Grade I listed churc ...

in London and

Wiener Konzerthaus The Konzerthaus is a concert hall located in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1913. It is situated in the third district just at the edge of the first district in Vienna. Since it was founded it has always tried to emphasise both traditional and ...

, Paris'

Salle Gaveau The Salle Gaveau, named after the French piano maker Gaveau, is a classical concert hall in Paris, located at 45-47 rue La Boétie, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It is particularly intended for chamber music. Construction The plans for th ...

, and The Cathedral of Saint-Louis des

Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

and La Madeleine in Paris,

Teatro di Marcello The Theatre of Marcellus ( la, Theatrum Marcelli, it, Teatro di Marcello) is an ancient open-air theatre in Rome, Italy, built in the closing years of the Roman Republic. At the theatre, locals and visitors alike were able to watch performances o ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Universal Hall ''Universal Hall'' is the eighth studio album by The Waterboys, released in 2003. It is named after the theatre and performance hall at the Findhorn Foundation, which is pictured on the album cover. The album shows much more influence from fol ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Royal Concertgebouw, Marble Hall of

Mirabell Palace Mirabell Palace (german: Schloss Mirabell) is a historic building in the city of Salzburg, Austria. The palace with its gardens is a listed cultural heritage monument and part of the Historic Centre of the City of Salzburg UNESCO World Heritage Si ...

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

, Studio of Radio and television broadcasting in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Suntory Hall The is a concert venue in the central Akasaka district of Tokyo, Japan. Part of the Ark Hills complex, it consists of a main concert hall, widely considered one of the finest in the world for its acoustics — indeed Herbert von Karajan called i ...

Tokyo International Forum The is a multi-purpose exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan. The complex is generally considered to be in the Yūrakuchō business district, being adjacent to Yūrakuchō Station, but it is administratively in the Marunouchi district. Tokyo Int ...

Main Hall(Hall A), Izumi Hall in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

, Main Auditorium of China Public Diplomacy & Culture Exchange Center in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, Westin

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

and others. He performed with

Berliner Symphoniker The Berliner Symphoniker (''Berlin Symphony Orchestra'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. History The orchestra began its performing activity on 1 September 1967 as ''Symphonisches Orchester Berlin'', under the auspices of t ...

, Berlin Sinfonie Orchester, Wiener Sinfonie Orchester, Czech Symphony Orchestra,

Moscow Symphony Orchestra The Moscow Symphony Orchestra is a non-state-supported Russian symphony orchestra, founded in 1989 by the sisters Ellen and Marina Levine. The musicians include graduates from such institutions as Moscow, Kiev, and Saint Petersburg Conservatory. T ...

Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra The is recognized as the oldest symphony orchestra in Japan. It was founded in 1911 and debuted at the original Matsuzakaya store in Nagoya as the . It relocated to Tokyo in 1938. As of 2005, it has 166 members. The orchestra plays frequently a ...

New York Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Chamber Orchestra, Salzburger Solisten, Vienna Soloists Ensemble, Vienna Mozart Ensemble Orchestra, American Union Chamber Orchestra,

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) is a South Korean orchestra based in Seoul. Founded in 1948, it is one of the oldest orchestras in South Korea. Its first foreign tour came on a 1965 trip to Japan, followed by performances in Southeast Asia ...

, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Korean Symphony Orchestra, Eurasian Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Pops Orchestra, Prime Philharmonic Orchestra and numerous groups in Taiwan and Japan. Furthermore, he is the first Korean artist who conquered all three halls at Carnegie Hall, and the fourth youngest man ever to give a solo concert at the Opera Theater in the

Seoul Arts Center The Seoul Arts Center, also referred to as SAC, is an arts complex in the Seocho-gu district of Seoul, in South Korea. It consists of five main buildings: the Opera House, with three auditoriums; the Music Hall, with two concert halls; the Han ...

. By the age of 27, he had performed at the TOP 3 classical concert halls of Korea (Concert Hall & Opera Theater of the

, Main Auditorium of the

Sejong Center Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is the largest arts and cultural complex in Seoul, South Korea. It has an interior area of 53,202m². It is situated in the center of the capital, on Sejongno, a main road that cuts through the capital city o ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, Main Hall 'Hae' of the

National Theater of Korea The National Theater of Korea is a national theatre located in the neighborhood of Jangchung-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, Jung-gu, South Korea. It is the first nationally managed theater in Asia. Affiliation The National Theater of Korea was establi ...

Education

* Shinyongsan Elementary School in

(graduation) * Yewon Arts School in

(graduation 'vocal') * Juilliard School of Music Pre-College in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, vocal judges unanimously passed * Accademia San Felice di Musica in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

(diploma 'operatic voice') *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

Konservatorium in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Invited student ('operatic voice'-Master of Music) * Civica Scuola delle Arti di Roma (

) (graduation 'operatic voice'-Artist Diploma)

Community outreach

Lim was a spokesperson for the

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a national public research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is largely considered the most prestigious university in South Korea; it is one of the three "S ...

Hospital & LG Household & Health Care "beautiful face campaign", the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization "Korea In Motion" campaign, the 2009 Seoul Chungmuro International Film Festival, the Seoul honor Dr. PR committee, the Jung-gu district of Seoul, the Seoul St. Mary's Hospital of Catholic University, and of the 2011 Daegu IAAF World Championships. As of 2014, he is a spokesperson for the Korean

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

, the Community Chest of Korea 'Fruit of Love' campaign, the International Relief and Development

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

, the Korea Association

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, the Green Growth National Union, the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Korean National Commission's first goodwill ambassador for peace and arts, the Promotional ambassador for 2015 Gwangju Summer

Universiade The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

, and He is the Art-one Cultural Foundation founder. Art-one was established by Lim in January 2008 to celebrate the anniversary of his 5th world and 10th domestic debuts. He wanted to help disadvantaged, talented people by donating his proceeds. In December 2010, Lim was awarded the

United Nations Peace Medal The United Nations Peace Medal is a commemorative medal produced by the United Nations to promote peace. First made by Franklin Mint in 1971, a new design is produced annually, with limited editions offered for sale in gold, silver, and bronze. Gol ...

for donating proceeds from a concert commemorating the 60th anniversary of the

Korean war , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

to descendants of veterans, becoming the first and youngest Korean to receive the award.

Other activities

Lim was the youngest editor of the magazine ''Weekly Kyunghyang'', and he is an interviewer for the US magazine ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' (Korean Edition). He was the youngest columnist from 2010 to 2015 in ''

Dong-A Ilbo The ''Dong-A Ilbo'' (, literally ''East Asia Daily'') is a newspaper of record in Korea since 1920 with a daily circulation of more than 1.2 million and opinion leaders as its main readers. ''The Dong-A Ilbo'' is the parent company of Dong-A ...

''. In addition, Lim published his first essay, "Only One", with his mother in March 2005, and the book was ranked the top bestseller in Youngpoong bookstore.

Awards

;In 2000 * CBS 1st National Music Competition 1st prize ;In 2001 – 2002 * The 5th Korean National Youth Music Competition 1st prize * The 12th 'Journal of Music' National Student Music Competition 1st prize * Yewon concert the first vocal soloist (Venue: Concert Hall, Seoul Arts Center) * Casual Classic International Scholarship Vocal Music Competition Championships and Scholarship Selection * Yewon arts school top Vocal Practical Skill and Achievement Award ;In 2003 * American USO Association honors contributions Merit Award (the youngest Korean winner) ;In 2004 * US Cotton Club International (CCI) chosen artist and the main model in that year in Asia (Korean first and youngest selected musician) ;In 2005 * Sony BMG headquarters Golden Disk Award * Korea Educational Development Institute survey, selected him along with

Roh Moo Hyun Roh or ROH may refer to: * ''Roh'' (film), a 2020 Malaysian horror film * Roh (name), a Korean surname * Roh, Maré, New Caledonia * Revoluční odborové hnutí, labour union in Czechoslovakia 1945–1990 * Ring of Honor, American professional w ...

Lee Kun Hee Lee Kun-hee (, ; 9 January 194225 October 2020) was a South Korean business magnate who served as the chairman of Samsung Group from 1987 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2020, and is credited with the transformation of Samsung to one of the world's la ...

and

Ahn Cheol-soo Ahn Cheol-soo ( ; born 26 February 1962) is a South Korean politician, medical doctor, businessperson, and software entrepreneur. He currently serves as a member of the National Assembly as part of the conservative People Power Party. Pri ...

as the most famous Korean people high school students want to see. * Netizen selected him among "30 beautiful people, representing the Republic of Korea, from art and academic sector." * Japan's NHK "

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

" trophy (the first and youngest Korean classical musician) ;In 2007 * Yewon arts school 'Alumni Achievement Award' ;In 2009 * Korea Tourism Organization selected him for "Korea 100 representative figures" ;In 2010 * UN Peace medal '

' ;In 2011 * The first and youngest recipient of 'the Month of Donators' Health and Welfare Minister Award * the youngest ever winner of the Korea Association of Newspapers Star Award ;In 2012 * Interpark investigation netizens selected him for "2012 Best Music / DVD Classic Division 1, 2 and 3 above" ;In 2013 * Interpark investigation netizens selected him for "2013 Best Music / DVD Classic sector" and "Artist of the Year 2013 Classic 1st Division" ;In 2014 * United States House of California Representatives Received citation ;In 2015 * U.S. Presidential Culture Award * 'The 3 Popera tenors in the world' by CNNiReport * BBC Music Magazine Publishes List of 'The TOP 5 most influential popera singers in the world' ;In 2016 * '30 under 30 Asia' by Forbes Asia edition ;In 2017 * Voting member of the Grammys (Recording Academy)

Discography

;Studio albums * The 1st album in January 2003 - Salley Garden * The 2nd album in September 2003 - Silver Rain * The 3rd album March 2004 - Misty Moon * The 4th album in October 2005 - The Lotus * The 5th album in December 2013 - Finally * The 5.5th album in February 2015 - Sarang : Love * The 6th album in November 2016 - The Last Confession * The 7th album in November 2021 - Lost In Time * The 8th album in November 2022 - Lost In Memory ;Other studio albums (Special, Live, EP, Classical etc.) * 1998 - Whispers of Hope * 2005 - Live From Seoul (Live Album) * 2006 - White Dream * 2007 - Eternal Memory * 2009 - My Hero * 2010 - Miracle History * 2011 - Once More * 2012 - Oriental Love * 2013 - Classic Style * 2013 - All My History ;Singles * 2006 - "Acacia" * 2009 - "Crystal Tears" * 2011 - "Beautiful Wish" * 2012 - "Eastern Shadow" * 2014 - "A Thousand Winds" * 2015 - "Always There"(featuring Secret Garden) * 2017 - "Around Thirty" * 2019 - "A New Road" * 2020 - "A Song For You"

References

External links

Lim Hyung-joo's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Hyung-joo 1986 births Living people People from Seoul South Korean opera singers 21st-century South Korean male singers South Korean tenors