Hailed for his “sweet, silky baritone” and “charming and witty” stage presence, Korean bass-baritone Jongwon Han is making a name for himself as one of the top young artists on the rise; he is the winner of the Third Prize at the 2022 Operalia World Opera Competition.
Mr. Han begins the 2022/23 season with debuts at Dayton Opera in Handel’s Messiah and Palm Beach Opera in Madama Butterfly (Bonzo). He then goes to San Francisco Opera where he begins his tenure in the Adler Fellowship Program.
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In the summer of 2022, Mr. Han joined the Santa Fe Opera as an Apprentice Artist, covering the role of Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia. He made his professional debut at the Vernazza Opera Festival (Cinque Terre, Italy) and has been featured in concerts in Osaka, Japan, Seoul, South Korea, and New York City. His operatic roles include the title roles in Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro, Masetto in Don Giovanni, Schaunard in La bohème, and Barone Douphol in La traviata. Having a deep connection to sacred music, Mr. Han has been featured in Bach’s Cantata BWV 140, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Sparrow Mass, and Haydn’s Theresienmesse.
Mr. Han was a Grand Finalist in the 2021 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, receiving the Pamela Craven Award. In 2022, he was the 1st prize winner of the Vero Beach Opera Rising Stars, 3rd place & audience choice award winner in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition, 3rd place winner of the Giulio Gari International Competition, and encouragement award winner of the L. Loren Zachary Competition. In 2021, he was the recipient of the Stephen De Maio Memorial Award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation and an encouragement award winner in the Gerda Lissner Lieder Competition. He took 2nd place in the 2020 Suri Competition, placed 3rd in the 2019 Opera at Florham Violetta International Competition, and was a finalist in the Fiorenza Cossotto International Competition in Bologna, Italy.
Mr. Han received his Bachelor of Music Degree from Seoul National University, his master’s degree at the Mannes School of Music, and studied at The Juilliard School in the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies program.
