Hyunah Yu

Soprano HYUNAH YU has received acclaim for her versatility in concert and opera roles of several centuries, for her work in chamber music, for her support of new music written by contemporary composers, and for her recorded and broadcast performances. She is known particularly for her performances of the music of J. S. Bach.

Hyunah Yu appears regularly with esteemed conductors, opera houses, well-known music festivals, and major orchestras throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. In addition to performing the Beethoven Ninth Symphony with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in the current season, she has sung it recently with the Seoul Philharmonic conducted by Myung Whun Chung, with the Aspen Festival Orchestra under David Zinman, and the Vermont Symphony under Jaime Laredo. Ms. Yu’s recent seasons have also included Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Rotterdam Philharmonic under the baton of Valery Gergiev, and the Bach Mass in B Minor with the Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln under Semyon Bychkov. Most recently she sang the world premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’s Symphony of Meditations with the Seattle Symphony (Gerard Schwarz).

An avid chamber musician and a recitalist, Ms. Yu has enjoyed re-engagements with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Baltimore’s Shriver Hall Concert Series, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, the Vancouver Recital Society, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and many others.

A highlight of Hyunah Yu’s opera career thus far has been singing the title role in Mozart’s Zaide in New York, London, and Vienna under the direction of Peter Sellars and conducted by Mostly Mozart’s Louis Langrée. Her debut CD on EMI was released worldwide in 2007. Ms. Yu has also recorded two solo recitals broadcast for the BBC Voices program, one of which was named Radio 3’s Best of 2004.

In 1999 Ms. Yu gained acclaim for her performance as a soloist in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the New England Bach Festival, directed by Blanche Moyse. The same year she was a prize winner at the Walter Naumburg International Competition and a finalist in both the Dutch International Vocal and Concert Artist Guild International competitions. Upon the nomination of the renowned pianist Mitsuko Uchida, she received the coveted Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. Ms. Yu also holds a degree in molecular biology from the University of Texas at Austin.