In just a few years Kangmin Justin Kim has established himself as one of the most sought-after countertenors of his generation, having collaborated with such prestigious conductors as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Mark Minkowski, Andrea Marcon, William Christie, Leonardo García-Alarcón, and Michael Hofstetter.

Engagements this season include his role debuts as Ruggiero in a new production of Alcina in Nancy and Dijon, as Annio in a new staging of La clemenza di Tito at the Theater an der Wien, and in the title role in the world premiere of M. Butterfly at the Santa Fe Festival. He will also perform Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Haymarket Opera in Chicago and will return to Cologne as Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus.

In the 2018/19 season, he made his debuts at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner and at the Staatsoper Berlin as Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea. He also sang Idamante in a new staging of Idomeneo at the Maifestspiele Wiesbaden as well as Idelberto in a new production of Lotario at the Konzert Theater Bern.

Other career highlights include Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea and Speranza in L’Orfeo at the Salzburg Festival, the Philharmonie of Paris, the Edinburgh Festival, the Luzern Festival, the Berliner Festspiele, New York’s Lincoln Center, and in Chicago conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner; Prince Orlofsky in a new production of Die Fledermaus and Cesare in Catone in Utica at the Cologne Opera; Orfeo in Parnasso in festa at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam conducted by Andrea Marcon; his debut at the Teatro San Carlo of Naples in Britten’s Canticles; Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus for his Parisian debut at the Opéra Comique conducted by Marc Minkowski; Oreste in La belle Hélène at the Théâtre du Châtelet of Paris; Sesto in La clemenza di Tito in Montpellier; Enea in Didone abbandonata at the Handel Festival Halle; and a Gala Concert at the Styriarte Graz.

Kangmin Justin was born in South Korea and grew up in Chicago. He studied voice, opera, and musical theater at Northwestern University in Evanston and the Royal Academy of Music, London.

For his interpretation of the title role of Pym in Heidelberg, he received nominations as “Best Singer” of the 2015-16 season for the German theater award DER FAUST 2016 and from the magazine Opernwelt as “Singer of the year 2016.” He also received a nomination as Young Singer Of The Year at the 2019 International Opera Awards. The magazine Opera Now named him among their “Tipped for the Top in 2020” artists and OperaWire included him in their “Top 10 Rising Stars Of 2019” list.

Photo by Victor Santiago