South Korean soprano Sumi Jo marks four decades on the international stage with a one-night recital at the Esplanade Concert Hall on Sunday, 15 November 2026 at 7.30pm. Mad For Love, her 40th anniversary concert, is a programme created exclusively for Singapore, with tickets on sale through Esplanade from S$68.
Pianist Abigail Sin accompanies her for the evening, which South Korea’s Altenburg Arts presents.
Forty years since a European debut
Sumi Jo made her European debut in 1986. In the years since, the Grammy Award-winning soprano has sung leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala and the Wiener Staatsoper, and recorded with conductors Herbert von Karajan and Sir Georg Solti.
Her honours include South Korea’s Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit and France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Bel canto, French song and Korean melodies
The recital moves across centuries and languages. The programme takes in Vivaldi, Villa-Lobos, Delibes, Debussy, Rossini and Bellini, alongside traditional Korean songs.
A Singaporean at the piano
Abigail Sin, who is Singaporean, studied at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, where she received the Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal as the top student of her cohort, and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. A Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship recipient, she went on to complete a PhD at the Royal Academy of Music.
She co-founded the More Than Music chamber concert series, which recorded the complete Beethoven violin sonatas in 2020. Her Esplanade appearances include Mendelssohn’s Concerto in D minor for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra for the arts centre’s 20th anniversary.
Running time, ticket prices and getting there
The concert runs 1 hour 45 minutes, including one 20-minute interval. Admission is for ages seven and above.
Tickets come in five categories: Cat 1 at S$188, Cat 2 at S$158, Cat 3 at S$128, Cat 4 at S$98 and Cat 5 at S$68. Groups buying at least four tickets save 10 per cent.
The Esplanade Concert Hall is a short walk from Esplanade MRT station on the Circle Line and from City Hall MRT station on the North-South and East-West lines.
