Hansung Yoo
Born and raised in South Korea in 1985, Hansung Yoo first studied singing at the Korea National University of Arts with Prof. Hans Choi and then at the Robert Schumann Music Academy with Prof. Michaela Krämer. He completed his singing studies with a master’s degree and the ‘concert exam’in opera at the University of Music and Theater in Hamburg.
Hansung’s achievements include many singing prizes. For example, in 2008 he won first prize and five special prizes at the IVC competition in Hertogenbosch, in 2012 he was the winner of the Cologne International Music Competition and a prizewinner at the 61st ARD International Music Competition. In 2015 he was awarded third prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
In order to advance his career internationally, Hansung Yoo has been working freelance since the 2022/23 season. He recently made his acclaimed debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Kurwenal/Tristan und Isolde.
While at Kassel, he also sang Sharpless/Madama Butterfly at the Staatstheater Nürnberg. At the Theater Koblenz, he was Amfortas/Parsifal.and in Il Trovatore, he played Count Luna. He performed in the title role of Rigoletto, a production taking place at the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress in Koblenz.
From 2013 to 2022, Hansung Yoo was a permanent member of the ensemble at the Staatstheater Kassel, where he appeared in a large number of roles. He has performed as Papageno/The Magic Flute, Dr. Falke/Die Fledermaus, Figaro/Il barbiere di Siviglia, Shaunard and Marcello/La Bohème, Mercutio/Roméo et Juliette, the title role in Eugene Onegin, Pierrot Fritz/Die tote Stadt, Conte di Almaviva/Le nozze di Figaro, Carlo Gerard/Andrea Chénier, Alfio/Cavalleria rusticana, Tonio/I Pagliacci, Kurwenal/Tristan and Isolde, Gunther/Götterdämmerung and Scarpia/Tosca.
In season 2022/2023 he got excellent reviews in two productions: Don Carlo di Vargas/La forza del destino at the Saarbrücken State Theatre, and his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, where he took the stage as Ping in Turandot, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano.
Hansung Yoo has worked with conductors such as Daniele Callegari, Francesco Angelico, Patrik Ringborg, Constantin Trinks, Antony Hermus, Yoel Gamzou, Sir Donald Runnicles, and Sir Antonio Pappano.