Sumi Jo Performs in Harlem the Day After Carnegie Hall Concert in New York

Free Concert on 'Hope' Held at Harlem High School
Jo Sumi: "I Wanted to Show That We Can Unite Through Music"

World-renowned soprano Jo Sumi held a free concert on the 24th (local time) at a high school in Harlem, New York, USA, with the theme of 'hope.'

The school Jo Sumi visited is Democracy Prep Harlem High School, located in Harlem in northern Manhattan, known for having a majority of Black or Latino students.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

This concert was planned with the intention of "promoting the value of diversity" after hate crimes against Asians increased following COVID-19.

Jo Sumi performed for the students starting with "Ah, Tell Mother" from the opera Le Tor?ador by Adolphe Adam in a small auditorium in the basement of the school building. She then sang songs such as "I Could Have Danced All Night" from the musical My Fair Lady and "Climb Every Mountain" from the movie The Sound of Music. Jo Sumi also expressed, "I wanted to convey to the students the lyrics encouraging them to climb every mountain in the world to find their dreams."

The final song was "Arirang," with Jo Sumi herself accompanying on the piano as she sang together with the students. As the performance ended with the melody of Arirang, the students responded with cheers and a standing ovation. During the performance, the students repeatedly shouted "We love you," and after the concert, they lined up to get autographs. It is unusual for prima donna Jo Sumi, who has starred on the world's greatest stages, to stand in a small school auditorium in Harlem. This was in stark contrast to her performance the previous day at New York's Carnegie Hall commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice.

After the concert, Jo Sumi shared her thoughts, saying, "Music binds us together and brings hope and comfort in painful moments," and added, "I wanted to personally show that through music, we can transcend everything and become one."

Meanwhile, Democracy Prep Harlem High School was established in 2013 with the purpose of providing quality educational opportunities to students from low-income families in New York City and is known for operating Korean language and Korean culture education programs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.