Praised by The New York Times as a “vibrant mezzo-soprano” and a “dark-toned, agile mezzo-soprano,” Hyona Kim continues to captivate audiences worldwide with her vocal depth, dramatic range, and commanding stage presence. In the 2025/26 season, she will make highly anticipated debuts at the Metropolitan Opera and Irish National Opera as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, and at the Korea National Opera as Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde. She also returns to LA Opera as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff, following her acclaimed company debut as Suzuki last season.
From 2018 to 2023, Kim was a principal artist with Dortmund Opera, where her repertoire included Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Tzippie (Where the Wild Things Are by Oliver Knussen), Nancy Tang (Nixon in China), Ortrud (Lohengrin), Amneris (Aïda), and the title role in the German premiere of Frédégonde by Guiraud, Dukas, and Saint-Saëns.
Since joining the Metropolitan Opera in the 2022/23 season, she has covered the roles of Eboli (Don Carlo), Venus (Tannhäuser), and Amneris (Aïda). Her debut with the San Francisco Opera as Lady Wang in the world premiere of Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber was met with critical acclaim, with the San Francisco Chronicle hailing her as an “unstoppable powerhouse.” She has since reprised the role with the Hong Kong Arts Festival and returned to San Francisco Opera for the revival of Dream of the Red Chamber and as Suzuki in a new production of Madama Butterfly.
Her international engagements include appearances with the Royal Danish Opera, New York City Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Maine, Opera Carolina, Romanian National Opera, and the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Her extensive repertoire also includes Azucena (Il Trovatore), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Wowkle (La fanciulla del West), Mistress Quickly (Falstaff), and both Olga and Larina in Eugene Onegin.
Kim is a National Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Grand Winner of the Joy in Singing Competition, and First Prize winner of the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition. She has received multiple grants and awards from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, Giulio Gari Foundation, Olga Forrai Foundation, and the Poulenc Competition, where she won the Jennie Tourel Prize. In her native South Korea, she won the Suri Competition and the Schubert Lied Competition.
She holds a Bachelor of Music from Ewha Womans University and earned both her Master’s degree and Professional Studies Diploma from Mannes College of Music in New York City. Her festival and training credits include the Aspen Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, International Vocal Arts Institute, Natchez Music Festival, and the Martina Arroyo Foundation.
An active concert artist, Kim has performed as alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Nashville Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem with Sinfonia da Camera, and Vivaldi’s Gloria at Carnegie Hall with the New England Symphonic Ensemble. She also appeared at the PyeongChang Music Festival in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and has performed Bach’s St. John Passion, St. Matthew Passion, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. She was invited to perform at the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe and has collaborated with the Brooklyn Art Song Society, Ensemble 212 and the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar.
