Korean-American soprano, Kathleen Kim, has been heralded by Opera News as "spectacular," by the Chicago Sun-Times as "a revelation" and a "tiny dynamo," and the Chicago Tribune has noted that Ms. Kim "nailed her stratospheric coloratura aria with a precise, penetrating soprano."  Such ecstatic reviews reflect the excitement the artist is generating, internationally, at many of the world’s premiere opera houses and concert halls.

For Kathleen Kim the 2011–12 season begins with a return to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis.  Further operatic engagements this season include the title role of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor at Sarasota Opera, La Fée in Massenet’s Cendrillon at Opéra de Lille, and the roles of Fire, Princess and the Nightingale in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges with the Glyndebourne Opera Festival.  Concert engagements include Mozart’s Mass in c minor with the Oslo Philharmonic. 

Past season highlights include the Metropolitan Opera’s premiere of Nixon in China singing the role of Chiang Ch’ing, directed by Peter Sellars and conducted by John Adams, and a reprise of her acclaimed portrayal of Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos in the company’s popular Elijah Moshinsky production conducted by Fabio Luisi.  The artist made her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte and returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Oscar in Un ballo in Maschera in a production directed by Renata Scotto and conducted by Asher Fisch.  Händel featured prominently in Ms. Kim’s season calendar with her return to Central City Opera for the North American premiere of Amadigi di Gaula directed by Alessandro Talevi and conducted by Matthew Halls as well as her debut at Boston Lyric Opera in a production of Agrippina directed by Lillian Groag and conducted by Gary Thor Wedow.

Kathleen Kim has bowed at the Metropolitan Opera as Olympia in Bartlett Sher’s new production of Les contes d’Hoffmann under the baton of James Levine, as Oscar in Un ballo in Maschera, as well as in performances of Ariadne auf Naxos conducted by Kirill Petrenko.  Additional appearances have included Armida in Händel’s Rinaldo at Central City Opera, Die Zauberflöte at Atlanta Opera, Die Entführung aus dem Serail at Minnesota Opera, La fille du Régiment with the Asociación Bilbaína de Amigos de la Ópera, Nixon in China for the Chicago Opera Theater, an outdoor opera gala concert with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and concerts with Myung-Whun Chung and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

A graduate of the Ryan Opera Center of the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ms. Kim appeared during her apprenticeship as Adele in Die Fledermaus, First Priestess in Iphigénie en Tauride, Page in Rigoletto, Milliner in Der Rosenkavalier, and as Frasquita in Carmen.

Ms. Kim received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from Manhattan School of Music.