Korean-American tenor Seiyoung Kim is a recent graduate of the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Phyllis Curtin Career Entry prize. This season, Kim’s engagements include making his Houston Grand Opera debut originating the roles of Rat and Monkey in the world premiere of Meilina Tsui's The Big Swim, making his debut at The Glimmerglass Festival performing Little Victor Farrell in Elizabeth Cree and Tito in The House on Mango Street, making his Boston Lyric Opera debut in Boston Public Library's Summer 2023 Concert in the Courtyard Series singing the aria of Don Ramiro from La Cenerentola and the aria of Orfeo from Orfeo ed Euridice, singing Britten's Les Illuminations with the Sejong Soloists, performing in the Yale Fall Opera Scenes as Don Ramiro from La Cenerentola and Jasper from The Snowy Day, and performing Father in The Seven Deadly Sins with Yale Opera as a guest performer. Kim will be joining Vienna Volksoper’s opernstudio for the 24/25 and 25/26 seasons.
In the 2022-2023 season at Yale, Kim performed the title role of Comte Ory in Le Comte Ory and sang in the Yale Opera Gala with the Yale Philharmonic as Count Almaviva from Il Barbiere di Siviglia and as Comte Ory from Le Comte Ory under the baton of Louis Lohraseb. In the 2021-2022 season at Yale, Kim sang the role of Oronte in Alcina, was featured in the Yale Opera Gala with the Yale Philharmonic as Lindoro from L'italiana in Algeri, Don Ottavio from Don Giovanni, Fenton from Falstaff, and Ernesto from Don Pasquale, and performed in the Yale Scenes Program as Comte Ory from Le Comte Ory, Fenton from Falstaff, and Brighella from Ariadne auf Naxos. Kim was also named a Connecticut district winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
In the 2020-2021 season, Kim was named a Tulsa district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Kim was invited by Korea National Opera to participate in their newly-launched masterclass series, which ended with a gala concert in Inchoon Art Hall, a newly opened recital hall at the prestigious Seoul Arts Center. Kim was also invited by the Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation to sing in their opera gala as Count Almaviva from Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
In the 2019-2020 season, Kim made his debut at Wolf Trap Opera performing Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos. Kim also sang in the Scenes Program as Dan Leno from Elizabeth Cree and Flute from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and was selected to sing in Lawrence Brownlee’s public masterclass. Kim participated in the workshops of Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly for in New York City for Santa Fe Opera, which was set to be premiered at Santa Fe Opera in the summer of 2020. Kim was scheduled to make his return to Santa Fe Opera as a second year apprentice artist but the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim was selected by Auditorium(월간객석), one of Asia's most prestigious performing arts magazines, as one of their rising opera stars.
In the 2018-2019 season, Kim performed the roles of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Basilio in Le Nozze di Figaro, covered the title role in Candide, and sang in the Scenes Program as Ramiro from La Cenerentola and Tonio from La fille du régiment at New England Conservatory. He participated in Gregory Kunde’s public masterclass in historic Jordan Hall and was invited by Dartmouth College to perform Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle as the tenor soloist. Kim was a first year apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera where he covered the roles of Brighella and Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos and sang in the Apprentice Scenes Program as Jim Casy from The Grapes of Wrath.
In the 2017-2018 season, Kim made his Boston debut as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte at Cutler Majestic Theater. Kim performed the role of Jimmy O’Keefe in Later the Same Evening at New England Conservatory, was chosen as a soloist for New England Conservatory’s 150th Anniversary Gala in Jordan Hall, and was selected to sing in a public masterclass of tenor Lawrence Brownlee. Kim participated in the workshop of Permadeath as Niobe with White Snake Projects, and performed the roles of Tanzmeister and Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos with Berlin Opera Academy in Berlin.
At The Juilliard School, Kim sang the role of Fileno in La fedeltà premiata and covered the role of Mercurio in La Calisto. He was also seen in the Scenes Program as Fritz from L’amico Fritz, Lurcanio from Ariodante, and in the Liederabend series singing the songs of Beethoven, Schubert, and Wolf. Kim was on tour with Juilliard 415 and Royal Academy of Music performing the music of Bach in New York, Boston, London, and Leipzig, and as a Gluck fellow, he presented a number of recitals at community centers and healthcare facilities throughout New York City.
At the age of 17, Kim was invited by the Korean Government to sing the Korean national anthem at the national ceremony of the 4343rd Anniversary of the National Foundation, which was broadcast all over Korea. Kim was a concerto competition winner at Seoul Arts High School, where he made his concert debut at the Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall under Maestro Nanse Gum in 2011. That year, he also performed as a soloist with the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra and was awarded 1st prizes from the Korea Voice (Lee Dae-Woong) Competition, the Sungjeong Competition, the Suri Music Concours, the Ewha and Kyunghyang Music Concours, and the Korea Herald Music competition. His education in Korea was supported by the Woongjin Foundation and the Sungjung Foundation. Childhood roles, beginning with his first operatic appearance as one of the children in La Boheme at the age of 5, include the roles of Commissionario in La traviata, Zwei Knabe in Die Zauberflöte, Kurt in The Sound of Music, and Young Scrooge in The Christmas Carol. In addition, as a chorister, Kim has performed in numerous operas and concerts, including La bohème , Andrea Chénier, Youngjo Lee’s Tcheo Yong, Le nozze di Figaro, Poulenc’s Les mamelles de Tirésias, Janacek’s Katya Kabanova, Madama Butterfly, Candide, and Doctor Atomic.
Kim received his Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Sanford Sylvan, his Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Bradley Williams, and his Master of Musical Arts degree from Yale University under the tutelage of Gerald Martin Moore. Kim is an alumnus of Houston Grand Opera's Young Artists' Vocal Academy (YAVA), and has been a young artist with The Glimmerglass Festival, Wolf Trap Opera and Santa Fe Opera.