South Korean bass Stephano Park was named the winner of Operalia 2023 in Cape
Town, South Africa.
This summer, Park makes his American debut as Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto at
Sante Fe Opera under the baton of Carlo Montanaro. Operatic highlights of the
2025/26 season include debuts with Royal Danish Opera as Il Conte di Monterone in
Verdi’s Rigoletto, and with Calgary Opera as Uncle Bonze in Puccini’s Madama
Butterfly. Park makes his US concert debut in performances of Beethoven’s
Symphony no. 9 with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ken-David
Masur, as well as his Chicago Symphony debut in Mozart’s Requiem under the baton
of Manfred Honeck.
Last season saw Park make numerous house and role debuts, including as the title
role in a new production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Korean National Opera,
as Mandarino in Puccini’s Turandot at the Baltic Opera Festival under the baton of
Keri-Lynn Wilson, and as Gran Sacerdote in concert performances of Verdi’s Nabucco
for Opéra de Toulon. On the concert platform, Park made his debut with the Korean
National Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Verdi’s Requiem conducted by
Roberto Abbado, and made his festival debut at the Daejeon Grand Festival alongside
Hera Hyesang Park in recital.
Park recently completed his second season as part of the Wiener Staatsoper’s pera
studio where roles have included Walter Furst in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, Lodovico in
Verdi’s Otello, Sid in Puccini’s La fanciulla del West, Fouquier-Tinville in Giordano’s
Andrea Chénier, Jailer in Puccini’s Tosca, Hans Schwarz in Wagner’s Die
Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Second soldier in Strauss’s Salome.
Other highlights include Ramfis in Verdi’s Aida with Oper Gars Summer Festival as
well as Talpa and Simone in Puccini’s operas Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi with SNU
Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Yun-Sung Chang.
Park trained at Seoul National University and continues his studies at Universität für
Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien, studying with Attila Jun, Jennifer Larmore and
Karlheinz Hanser.