After tragic start, Korean singer graces world stage

Yu Hyun-ah. photo courtesy of EMI

Hyunah Yu found solace in music after the death of her husband

Up until recently, only four Korean musicians had released albums on famed classical music label EMI; violinists Chung Kyung-wha and Sarah Chang, cellist Chang Han-na, and pianist Lim Dong-hyek. But for the first time, a Korean singer has released an album on the U.K.-based label - and it is a story of hardship and redemption.

Yu Hyun-ah, a 38-year-old South Korean-born American soprano, began her professional career in music relatively late, after death of her husband. Yu will make her debut on the domestic stage with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra led by maestro Chung Myung-whun on December 27, 28, and 30, timed with the release of her EMI debut album, "Hyunah Yu."

Her professional career in music came relatively late, after the tragic death of her husband just two years after they were married. Yu overcame her tragedy through the spirit of art, she said.

Yu immigrated to the United States while young, going on to study molecular biology at the University of Texas, Austin. Shortly after graduating, she was married. On February 14, 1993, just two years after her marriage, her husband was shot to death by teenagers attempting to steal his car.

In shock, and "living without a purpose," she said, her sister advised her to study music.

Thus began her unlikely start to her career in music. It was at that point, she said, she could realize that her wounded heart could be cured. Three months after her husband’s tragic death, she entered the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Since then, she has been singing songs "to live."

Her sorrow led her to become totally absorbed in the music, she said. After finishing both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in four years, she won prizes at the 1998 Dutch International Vocal Competition and the 1999 Walter W. Naumburg International Competition. In 2003, she was awarded a Fellowship by the Borletti-Buitoni Trust. This year, she has been busy singing the title role in Mozart’s opera "Zaide," touring in Vienna and at New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival in a Peter Sellars-directed production of the work.

Just as she has consoled her sorrow through music, she hopes other people will gain both mental and spiritual stability from music. Her debut album contains many sweet and lyrical songs, such as arias from Mozart and cantata from Bach.

"Bach’s music can move people’s hearts. People can find pleasure and salvation in it. I want many people to take comfort and find courage to live from my songs," Yu said.

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