Sumi Jo, Fresh Off Maria Callas Prize, Opens Exhibition for 40th Debut Anniversary
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The exhibition reimagines soprano Sumi Jo’s four-decade musical journey through the progression of spring, summer, autumn and winter. Seventeen leading South Korean artists are participating with paintings and sculptural works. Artcube 2R2 said the show will offer a new artistic experience through an encounter between Jo’s music and contemporary art.
The exhibition is spread across three floors. Each space reflects the emotions and imagery of the four seasons. Visitors are meant to experience Jo’s musical world and the seasonal cycle in an immersive, three-dimensional setting. An Artcube 2R2 official described it as an attempt to extend music, an art of time, into physical space.
Jo recently received the 12th Maria Callas Special Prize, reaffirming her global stature. She is the first Asian musician to win the award.
The Maria Callas Special Prize is an achievement award established in honor of Maria Callas, one of the defining sopranos of the 20th century. It is presented to artists with distinguished accomplishments in the development of opera and classical music worldwide. Previous recipients include director Franco Zeffirelli and baritone Leo Nucci.
The 12th ceremony was held in Verona on Aug. 2, the date of Callas’s debut in Mude, Italy. “It is an honor to receive the Maria Callas Special Prize in the same city, on the same day, 79 years after the world-renowned diva Maria Callas made her historic debut,” Jo said. She added that because the award bears the name of a great artist who defined an era, she would treasure the moment for the rest of her life.
Jo is also marking the 40th anniversary of her debut with a range of projects, including the release of her new album “Continuum,” the second Sumi Jo International Singing Competition and an overseas tour. She will hold a 40th-anniversary concert for domestic audiences at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on Sept. 4.
