On February 28th, Sunday, at 3 pm, the National Philharmonic Hall awaits the guest appearance of the megastar of the contemporary opera world, Korean-born Sumi Jo, and one of the most internationally acclaimed young Japanese conductors, Tomomi Nishimoto, conducting the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO). Both performers will make their first appearances in Vilnius as a preparation for the LNSO Anniversary Japan Tour in June 2010. This concert and the upcoming tour are organised in association with the international concert agency Samon Promotion that will also produce the live recording of the concert in Vilnius as part of the tour’s advertising campaign.

Almost a year ago, in April 2009, Tomomi Nishimoto conducted three concerts of the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra Japan Tour 2009, organised by the Samon Promotion, in collaboration with the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society (LNPS). This year she will conduct another resident orchestra with the LNPS, the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2010.

Born in Osaka, in 1970, Ms. Nishimoto has fallen in love with the Russian musical culture since the very young age (from 3 to 15 she practiced ballet herself and became fascinated with Russian ballet and opera performances) and resolved to relate her future professional career with this country. The long hours spent at the piano in her native Osaka (in 1994, she graduated in composition from the Osaka College of Music), an almost frenetic zest to acquire as much experience as possible in the opera theatre – where she had worked various jobs from transcribing parts from the score to assisting the lighting technicians, production directors and conductors – and willpower, which, as she once said, “ultimately conducts your talent,” did eventually pay off. She continued her education at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where she studied conducting with Viktor Fedotov and Ilya Musin. Her début appearances as a conductor in Russia and Japan were met with enthusiastic approval and garnered her many prizes and scholarships, which helped her pursue her professional career. She was appointed the Chief Conductor to the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra “Millennium” in 2002 and Principal Guest Conductor of St. Petersburg Mussorgsky State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Ms. Nishimoto currently spends about half the year in Japan and the other half in Russia; in the meantime she is also seen conducting various orchestras and opera performances in Europe. For her first guest appearance with the LNSO, she prepares the overtures to Johann Strauss’s II operetta Die Fledermaus and Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La traviata and Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

During the first part of the concert in Vilnius, the National Philharmonic Hall will resound with the luxurious coloraturas of South Korean soprano Sumi Jo, who will sing Adele’s couplet “Spiel’ich die Unschuld vom Lande” from Johann Strauss’s II Die Fledermaus, Eva Dell’Acqua’s Villanelle and Violetta’s arias “Addio del passato” (Act 3) and “Sempre libera!” (Act 1) from La traviata.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Ms. Sumi Jo began her piano lessons at the age of four and voice lessons at the age of six. While studying at the Seoul National University, she made her recital début, appeared in several concerts with the Korean Broadcasting Company Orchestra and made her operatic début as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro at the Seoul Opera. Her early recognition encouraged her to leave her native Seoul and hone her vocal techniques at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where Carlo Bergonzi became one of her principal tutors. When she started appearing in concerts in various Italian cities and on national radio broadcasts and telecasts, she decided to change her original name Soo Kyung into ‘Sumi’ that was not so difficult to pronounce. Graduating in keyboard and voice in 1986, she continued her professional training with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and garnered prizes, one by one, in several important competitions, which led her to a unanimous victory at the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition in Verona, open only to first-prize winners of other major competitions. Her European operatic début as Gilda in the production of Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste, in 1986, attracted the attention of legendary Herbert von Karajan. Next year she sang Oscar in his production of Un ballo in maschera at the Salzburg Festival. She also appeared in the best-selling video production Karajan in Salzburg (1988), which brought her worldwide renown as a lyric coloratura soprano, possessing “a gift from God” (Karajan) and a perfect mastery of the bel canto repertoire.

In the early 1990s and the early 2000s she was ubiquitous, singing in major capitals on nearly every continent. In 1992, she won Grammy, Gramophone and other awards, together with other performers (among them are the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Georg Solti, Hildegarda Behrens and Placido Domingo) for the recording of Richard Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten, hailed as the best opera recording of the year and the most expensive opera recording of all times. She has now over 50 albums to her record credit, featuring operas, operettas, orchestral works and popular music. Among her many recordings, her portrayal of Oscar in the Karajan’s production of Un ballo in maschera (Deutsche Gramophon), that of the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte and the album of operatic arias “The Art of Sumi Jo” (both with Georg Solti conducting, Decca) have attracted most attention from the critics and public alike.

Making Rome her current home, Ms. Jo appears on many special occasions as the cultural symbol of Korea; for instance, she sang at the World Cup in Seoul in 2002 and at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. In 2003, she was elected as an “Artist for Peace” of UNESCO and received the prestigious Puccini Award. She is also an advocate for animal rights as member of PETA.

Please note: this concert will be recorded live; please turn off all kinds of electronic devices (mobile phones, watches etc.); do not bring preschool children. We would appreciate your understanding.