Korean-American Kangmin Justin Kim is one of the most sought-after countertenors of his generation, having earned accolades in roles of the Baroque repertoire, contemporary music and in Mozart’s trouser parts.
Engagements of the 2018/19 season include his Covent Garden debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner, his debut at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin as Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Idelberto in a new production of Lotario in Bern, Idamante in a new staging of Idomeneo at Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Megacle in Vivaldi’s L’Olimpiade with the Orchestra La Cetra conducted by Andrea Marcon in Basel and Herne.
Recently he was heard as Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea and Speranza in L’Orfeo at the Salzburg Festival, New York Lincoln Center, Philharmonie of Paris and Berlin, Harris Theatre in Chicago, Edinburgh Festival, Lucerne Festival and the Teatro La Fenice in Venice conducted by Gardiner, Cesare in Vivaldi’s Catone in Utica and Orlofsky in a new production of Die Fledermaus at the Oper Köln, Orfeo in Handel’s Parnasso in festa at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam conducted by Andrea Marcon, in Giulio Cesare for his Glyndebourne debut conducted by William Christie, in a staged production of Handel’s Jephtha at Maifestspiele Wiesbaden, in his debut at the Teatro San Carlo of Naples in Britten’s Canticles alongside Ian Bostridge, in Carmina Burana with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, as Barzane in Vivaldi’s Arsilda with the Collegium 1704 in Bratislava, Caen, Lille, Luxembourg and Versailles, Speranza in L’Orfeo at the Opéra de Dijon, and Romeo in Zingarelli’s Giulietta e Romeo at the Rokokotheater of Schwetzingen.
Other successes since his professional operatic debut in 2013 include Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus for his Parisian debut at the Opéra Comique conducted by Marc Minkowski, Oreste in La Belle Hélène at the Théâtre du Châtelet of Paris, Sesto in La clemenza di Tito at the Opéra de Montpellier, Idamante in Idomeneo at the Stadttheater Gießen under the baton of Michael Hofstetter, Enea in the Handel/Vinci pasticcio Didone abbandonata at the Handel Festival Halle, his first Sesto in Giulio Cesare at the Handel Week Festival Oak Park, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and Kalitzke’s newly written opera, Pym for Theater Heidelberg. He could also be heard in Gala Concerts at the Styriarte Graz and at the Rokokotheater Schloss Schwetzingen.
Kangmin Justin Kim was born in South Korea and grew up in Chicago. He studied voice, opera, and musical theater at the Northwestern University in Evanston and the Royal Academy of Music, London.
He has collaborated with such prestigious conductor as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Mark Minkowski, Andrea Marcon and Michael Hofstetter.
For his interpretation of the title role of Pym he received nominations as “Best Singer” of the 2015/16 season for the German theatre award DER FAUST 2016 and from the magazine Opernwelt as “Singer of the year 2016”.