On Saturday morning opera singer Young Woo Kim was two days into a long-awaited holiday when he received an unexpected phone call. Renowned tenor Joseph Calleja was sick with COVID, days out from headlining Opera Australia’s Puccini Gala – would Kim consider stepping into his shoes?
“At the time I was camping with my family, who had come to visit from overseas,” Kim explains.
Young Woo Kim as Cavaradossi and Giselle Allen as Tosca.Credit: Keith Saunders
The Puccini Gala – which is taking place to mark 100 years since the famed composer’s death – would have been Calleja’s Opera Australia debut. In a fortunate twist for the company, however, they just so happened to have another experienced tenor to call upon. The Korean-born Kim, who is usually based in Germany, has been performing in Opera Australia’s production of Tosca, which kicked off in Melbourne and is currently being performed in Sydney.
Despite being in a remote location just outside of Newcastle, Kim had no hesitation in saying yes. After a long taxi ride, three hours on a train to Sydney, a bout of rapid packing, and a plane ride, 10 hours later he was in Melbourne ready to rehearse.
With only five days to prepare, was he feeling the pressure? “Yes, of course – it’s very stressful,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m a tenor – I like exciting moments.” He pauses, then upgrades his answer. “Actually, I love this situation … something happening means it’s not a boring life.”
It also helps that – with the exception of two works from Madama Butterfly – he was already familiar with almost all of the music on the program. In particular, the aria opening the concert – from La Fanciulla del West – is part of Kim’s fabric of life. “Every day I sing this aria – in the morning, in the evening, when I warm up my voice.”
Skilled tenor Young Woo Kim was already in Australia to perform in Opera Australia’s production of Tosca. Credit: Keith Saunders
“It is very hard,” he says of being asked to step in for a performer as well known as Calleja, but is also exciting. “Opera is a continuous challenge of new experiences because I never know what situation may arise,” he says. “It is very difficult to create a better performance than yesterday – but that is my great challenge, because I believe that new opera fans should be created through my performances. That is the mission of all opera singers.”
What Kim is most looking forward to is performing alongside Australian soprano Nicole Car, a “star I have always admired,” he says.
In addition to the gala concert, Opera Australia’s celebration of Puccini has included productions of both La Boheme and Tosca, but it is not the only company to feature the composer in their schedule – Victorian Opera will be performing La Rondine at the Palais next month and Melbourne Opera will be staging La Boheme at the Athenaeum Theatre in September. So why is his work so enduring and so loved?
“Puccini is special,” Kim says. “The greatest feature of Puccini’s music is that it brings happiness to the audience – but it also makes the performers happy too.”
The Puccini Gala is on at Hamer Hall on July 25 and 27.
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