Soprano Son Ji-su to discuss Kim Hyo-geun art song project on EBS FM

Soprano Son Ji-su will appear on the EBS FM program "Jung Kyung's Classic Classic" on October 21 to discuss her project recording 13 Korean art songs by Kim Hyo-geun. The broadcast will feature live performances accompanied by pianist Moon Jae-won ahead of a project concert at Geoam Art Hall on November 8.

Soprano Son Ji-su will appear on the Wednesday guest segment of the EBS FM program "Jung Kyung's Classic Classic" at 10:00 AM on October 21. Appearing on the program for the first time in approximately four years, Son Ji-su will discuss her recent musical challenges and changes, as well as her love-hate relationship and affection for singing. She will also introduce her ongoing project recording 13 Korean art songs by composer Kim Hyo-geun and her upcoming concert in November. Accompanied by pianist Moon Jae-won, she is scheduled to perform three Korean art songs live.

Son Ji-su graduated from the vocal music department of Seoul National University after attending Sunhwa Arts High School and Sunhwa Arts School. She later completed the advanced performance course at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milan in Italy. Her accolades include winning the grand prize at the Korea National Opera Competition, taking first place at the Lee Dae-woong Competition, and receiving the gold prize at the Sumi Jo Competition. She made her operatic debut at the Rosetum Theater in Milan, Italy, playing the role of Rosina in the opera "The Barber of Seville." Since then, she has appeared on opera stages in roles such as Adina in "The Elixir of Love," Gilda in "Rigoletto," and Musetta in "La Bohème."

Expanding stage experience from opera to musicals

Building on her experience in opera, Son Ji-su has also challenged herself in musicals. She played the role of Christine in the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" and Emma in "Jekyll & Hyde." At the time of those performances, it was noted that she had won various competitions and graduated at the top of her class from the vocal music department at Seoul National University. The role of Christine was also her first participation in a musical.

During the broadcast, she will discuss the differences between the music learned as a classical singer and the singing, acting, and choreography required on the musical stage. While both classical opera and musicals center on singing, the interview will also cover the deliberations and efforts Son Ji-su experienced while moving between the two genres. Having played roles such as Rosina, Adina, Gilda, and Musetta in opera, and Christine and Emma in musicals, she will share her experiences across different genres and the changes she faced when challenging new ones.

Thirteen Kim Hyo-geun art songs across four albums

A central topic of the broadcast is the project album featuring Korean art songs by composer Kim Hyo-geun. Son Ji-su is currently working on the project "Son Ji-su Sings Kim Hyo-geun," which involves newly recording 13 of Kim Hyo-geun's Korean art songs with her voice. The project has proceeded by releasing four mini-albums in sequence. The first album, "Dream," was released on September 1, and the final album, "Eternity," was released on October 15. The albums contain a total of 13 art songs by Kim Hyo-geun.

The interview will explore how Son Ji-su focused on expressing Kim Hyo-geun's music with her voice and which moments with the composer were most memorable. She will also discuss how she interpreted and recorded the songs from the project albums. The project, which has continued through these album releases, will conclude with a concert. The performance marking the end of the project will be held at Geoam Art Hall on November 8. The broadcast will also introduce the songs included in the albums and the concert schedule.

Live performance of three Korean art songs with Moon Jae-won's accompaniment

On the program, Son Ji-su will sing "The Most Beautiful Life" by Kim Hyo-geun, followed by "My Love, If Only Then" by Jeong Hwan-ho and "There Is No Separate Flower Path; My Life Is the Flower" by Kim Seon-gyeong. All three are Korean art songs, with pianist Moon Jae-won providing accompaniment. Both "My Love, If Only Then" and "There Is No Separate Flower Path; My Life Is the Flower" were written specifically for Son Ji-su by composers Jeong Hwan-ho and Kim Seon-gyeong, respectively. In addition to the project recording Kim Hyo-geun's works, these two songs dedicated to Son Ji-su are included in the live selection.

The broadcast will also cover the experience of interpreting existing songs with her own voice and singing songs written specifically for her. Son Ji-su will share the process of encountering songs written for her and her story of creating her own music as a vocalist. Moon Jae-won is a pianist who has worked closely with Son Ji-su for a long time. This guest segment will feature three songs performed through Son Ji-su's singing and Moon Jae-won's accompaniment, presenting Kim Hyo-geun's art songs from the album alongside Korean art songs written by other composers in one place.

Life as a professor and broadcast information

Son Ji-su currently serves as a full-time professor in the vocal music department at Seoul Cyber University, where she teaches students. During the broadcast, she will also discuss how her perspective on music has changed while teaching students. She will introduce her various activities as a musician, including her experiences moving between opera and musical stages, the art song project with composers, and her work teaching at the university. Son Ji-su is also expected to speak candidly about her love-hate relationship and affection for singing, as well as her recent musical changes.

"Jung Kyung's Classic Classic" is hosted by baritone Jung Kyung and airs daily from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Son Ji-su's appearance begins at 10:00 AM on October 21, with a frequency of 104.5MHz in the Seoul metropolitan area. It can also be heard via the EBS internet radio "Bandi" and the "Bandi" smartphone application. The final album of the project, "Eternity" from "Son Ji-su Sings Kim Hyo-geun," was released on October 15, and the project concert will be held at Geoam Art Hall on November 8.

During the broadcast, Son Ji-su will sequentially convey her experiences on opera and musical stages, her activities as a professor, the progress of the Kim Hyo-geun art song project, and her concert plans. A live performance of three songs accompanied by Moon Jae-won is also scheduled. The program will be broadcast on October 21 at 10:00 AM via EBS FM and "Bandi."

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