Gihoon Kim
Baritone from Republic of Korea - 29 years old
I was born in Gokseong, a small town with few opportunities for musical education, and I was first introduced to music through the K-pop my parents listened to at home, and I would secretly imitate classical singers I saw on TV.
My chance came when I was 18. I was singing bass in the church choir, and a visiting vocal professor suggested to me that I should pursue singing studies seriously. This led to a place at Yonsei University Seoul, where I studied with Professor Kim Kwan-dong, the first Korean to sing at Milan’s La Scala. I had only been singing for seven months before then and he really taught me singing technique from scratch.
In the 2016/17 season I received a scholarship at the Junge Oper Hannover, where roles I sang included Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Marullo (Rigoletto) and Melot (Tristan und Isolde). Since then, I have been successful at several international competitions, including second prizes in both the Tchaikovsky and Operalia competitions, as well as the Audience Prize at the latter.
Recent highlights include gala concerts at the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St Petersburg and Zaryadye Hall in Moscow with Valery Gergiev.
I’m looking forward to future seasons, when I will make my debuts at the Glyndebourne Festival and at Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich.
I enjoy baseball, football and fishing. Also, I was told I could be a professional boxer.
Gihoon Kim
Bariton, 29 oed, De Corea
Cefais fy ngeni yn Gokseong, tref fach heb lawer o gyfleon ar gyfer addysg gerddorol, ac fe’m cyflwynwyd i gerddoriaeth gyntaf drwy’r K-pop roedd fy rhieni’n arfer ei fwynhau gartref. Yn ddistaw bach, byddwn yn dynwared cantorion clasurol a welwn ar y teledu.
Daeth fy nghyfle pan oeddwn i’n 18 oed. Roeddwn i’n canu bas yng nghôr yr eglwys, ac awgrymodd athro llais oedd ar ymweliad y dylwn i fynd ati o ddifrif i astudio canu. Cefais le ym Mhrifysgol Yonsei, Seoul, lle’r astudiais gyda’r Athro Kim Kwan-dong, y person cyntaf o Gorea i ganu yn La Scala Milan. Dim ond ers saith mis yr oeddwn i wedi bod yn canu, a chefais ddysgu techneg canu o’r dechrau ganddo fe.
Yn nhymor 2016/17 derbyniais ysgoloriaeth yn y Junge Oper Hannover, lle canais rannau’n cynnwys Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Marullo (Rigoletto) a Melot (Tristan und Isolde). Ers hynny, rwyf wedi cael llwyddiant mewn sawl cystadleuaeth ryngwladol, gan gynnwys ail wobr yng nghystadlaethau Tchaikovsky ac Operalia, yn ogystal â Gwobr y Gynulleidfa yn yr olaf.
Ymhlith yr uchafbwyntiau diweddar mae cyngherddau gala yn Neuadd Gyngerdd Mariinsky yn St Petersburg a Neuadd Zaryadye ym Moscow gyda Valery Gergiev.
Rwy’n edrych ymlaen at y tymhorau sydd i ddod, pryd y caf ganu am y tro cyntaf yng Ng诺yl Glyndebourne ac yn y Bayerische Staatsoper ym Munich.
Rwy'n mwynhau pêl fas, pêl-droed a physgota. Dywedwyd wrthyf hefyd y gallwn fod yn focsiwr proffesiynol.
