Julian Kim in the News & Interviews
Interviews
2017.04.15
TVRobles
Festival Granda 'La Traviata' interview in Lima, Peru
2020.09.17
Joongang SUNDAY
Julian Kim and Kim Hyun-soo compare their powerful vocal techniques
2020.12.13
CGN
A documentary featuring Julian Kim and other artists, exploring music on the road
2021.02.21
SBS NEWS
A news interview where Julian Kim discusses his career and performs 'What Though Life Conspire to Cheat You'
2021.05.20
ORFEO TV
Julian Kim explains the key differences between opera and art songs
2021.10.21
MBN
A news feature recognizing Julian Kim as a legendary figure in classical music
2021.10.27
Queen
Julian Kim discussing his first full-orchestra concert in 'Baritone Julian JooTaek Kim's Music Library'
2021.11.19
Library Company
A three-part interview series with Julian Kim, discussing his career and musical insights Part 3
2023.02.02
MBN
An interview about Julian Kim’s experience performing in The Phantom of the Opera
2023.03.16
Library Company
Julian Kim fact-checks information about himself on Namuwiki, covering opera, musicals, and more
2023.03.27
THE MUSICAL
A short clip introducing Julian Kim as a musical actor in The Phantom of the Opera
2023.07.06
SBS NEWS
Julian Kim describes the physical challenges of performing The Phantom of the Opera
2023.08.11
Joongang SUNDAY
A giveaway event featuring Julian Kim's signed program book and stories from The Phantom of the Opera
2019.07.26
FEBC
A radio interview featuring Julian Kim, sharing his journey as a baritone
2020.11.04
Precious Culture Campaign
Julian Kim reflects on his life, music, and the importance of dreaming again
2021.01.30
SBS NEWS
Julian Kim promotes Korean art songs and their evolving significance
2021.03.11
SBS NEWS
Julian Kim expresses his love for opera, likening his performances to a fine craft that matures with time
2021.05.20
ORFEO TV
Julian Kim talks about an unexpected genre that helped him connect with audiences
2021.10.22
Library Company
A three-part interview series with Julian Kim, discussing his career and musical insights Part 1
2021.11.12
Library Company
A three-part interview series with Julian Kim, discussing his career and musical insights Part 2
2022.05.10
C Channel
Julian Kim shares how faith and praise influence his music
2023.02.24
THE MUSICAL
A teaser film for Julian Kim’s feature in The Musical magazine's March issue
2023.03.17
THE MUSICAL
Julian Kim shares behind-the-scenes stories from The Phantom of the Opera in a special cover feature
2023.05.01
KNN NEWS
Julian Kim stars as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, marking the show's return to Busan after 22 years
2023.07.12
SBS NEWS
Julian Kim joins the cast of The Phantom of the Opera as it returns to Korea after 13 years and shares his thoughts in an SBS interview
2024.05.23
YTN
Julian Kim delivers a weather forecast while sharing insights on his transition from opera to musicals
Selected Excerpts from Newspaper Articles
Le grandi opere di Giuseppe Verdi stasera al Teatro Pergolesi di Jesi per una originale mise en espace
L'Altro Giornale, 4 Oct. 2013, p. 23, www.laltrogiornale.it
In scena, il baritono Jootaek Kim e il basso Luca Tittoto, che tornano al Teatro Pergolesi dopo il grande successo personale avuto lo scorso anno nell’opera I Puritani di Bellini. Giacomo Sagripanti dirige l’Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana.Il baritono coreano Jootaek Kim e il basso Luca Tittoto proporranno il duetto di Attila ed Ezio "Tardo per gli anni, e tardo" dal Prologo di Attila: in questo titolo della giovinezza, la prima rappresentazione avvenne al Gran Teatro La Fenice di Venezia il 17 marzo 1846, con i temi cari a Verdi - la lotta contro l’oppressore e l’amor patrio.Nelle foto: Giacomo Sagripanti, Jootaek Kim, Luca Tittoto
"On stage, baritone Jootaek Kim and bass Luca Tittoto return to Teatro Pergolesi after their great personal success last year in Bellini’s opera I Puritani. Giacomo Sagripanti conducts the Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana. The Korean baritone Jootaek Kim and bass Luca Tittoto will perform the duet between Attila and Ezio, "Tardo per gli anni, e tardo", from the prologue of Attila. In this youthful work, its first performance took place at the Gran Teatro La Fenice in Venice on March 17, 1846, featuring themes dear to Verdi— the struggle against oppression and patriotic love."
📌 Excerpt from the article
Quali ruoli sente più adatti alla propria voce?
I ruoli del repertorio italiano, più di quelli tedeschi e francesi. Figaro è il ruolo con il quale ho debuttato nel 2009. Trovo Figaro un ruolo molto divertente, sempre in scena, e mi piace anche il fatto di essere l'ultimo ad uscire per prendere gli applausi. Come baritono, però, amo molto Verdi che per questa voce ha scritto tanti capolavori.
Quale aspetto trova più difficile di questo ruolo?
Direi l'aria visto che si entra in scena con dei begli acuti senza aver cantato prima. Tanti grandi baritoni del passato dicevano che per questo ruolo bisogna pensare come un tenore e solo così viene facile. Anche se non sono d'accordo tanti colleghi – scherza – dicono che ho la testa da tenore. Anche i recitativi molto lunghi (soprattutto nel secondo atto) e la lettura della lettera creano qualche difficoltà anche se la parte è molto divertente.
"Which roles do you feel are best suited to your voice?
The roles of the Italian repertoire, more than the German and French ones. Figaro is the role with which I debuted in 2009. I find Figaro a very fun role, always on stage, and I also like the fact of being the last one out to get the applause. As a baritone, however, I love Verdi very much, who wrote many masterpieces for this voice.
What aspect of this role do you find most difficult?
I would say the aria since you enter the scene with beautiful high notes without having sung before. Many great baritones of the past said that for this role you have to think like a tenor and only then does it come easy. Even if I don't agree, many colleagues - he jokes - say that I have the head of a tenor. Even the very long recitatives (especially in the second act) and the reading of the letter create some difficulty even if the part is very funny."
📌 Excerpt from the article
(LEAD) (Yonhap Interview) Prolific opera singer Kim Joo-taek eyes diversified portfolio
Yonhap News, June 17, 2020
He has starred in major opera productions at big theaters, like the Rome Opera House, the Fenice Opera House in Venice and the Theater of San Carlo in Naples, since making his debut with the role of Figaro in "Barber of Seville" at the Pergolesi Theater in Jesi, northeastern Italy, in 2009.
"An opera is the art of everything, like singing, costume, stage settings, directing and lighting," he said. "And the human voice that comes out of the music played by an orchestra thrills me."
But the seasoned opera singer does not set limits on his singing portfolio. He appeared in the crossover vocal audition show "Phantom Singer" on JTBC in 2017 and gained widespread public recognition in his home country. His four-member team, Miraclass, which finished second in the show and has had a series of concerts in Korea, has made the prolific vocalist far busier.
"No matter what kind of music I sing, I love to sing songs that people like," said the 33-year-old singer, adding that he did not intend to sing only classical music when he decided to take on this career path years ago."
📌 Excerpt from the article
I Was Haunted by the Phantom for a Year and a Half
Jooang Sunday, August 19, 2023
"Opera and musicals are both forms of musical theater, but the overlap between classical music enthusiasts and musical theater fans isn’t particularly large. Likewise, few artists move freely between the two genres. This is why the musical debut of world-class opera star Kim Joo-Taek has drawn significant attention."
“It was an opportunity I felt would never come again in my lifetime. When I first became interested in musicals, this was the show that people around me strongly recommended. They say life is all about timing, and I felt this was the right time for me. I approached it as a complete newcomer, leaving my past behind—because musicals are an entirely different field from my career in opera.”
"Though he landed the role of the Phantom as if by fate, the character never left his side for the next year and a half before the curtain finally rose. Unlike his fearless opera debut in his early 20s, where he prepared for only three months, this time, he felt an overwhelming level of expectation."
“I didn’t show it outwardly, but the stress was beyond words. The moment I got through the first performance without any mistakes, I felt an indescribable thrill. The night before, I couldn’t sleep due to the pressure, and when I sang my first solo, Music of the Night, I was so overwhelmed I barely knew what I was doing. In the scene where I emerge from the mirror, I was trembling so much under my cloak. (laughs) After the curtain call, I collapsed on the floor and sobbed, as if releasing all the stress of the past year and a half.”
"To take on The Phantom of the Opera, Kim turned down several opera engagements—but that doesn’t mean he’s left opera behind. 'I can always go back,' he says."
“It’s up to me. Opera has been my career for over a decade, so I don’t see any issue with returning when the time is right. But right now, I want to do more musicals. If I don’t do it now, I may never get another chance. This is just the beginning, so I need to keep building up my skills. My identity? I’m simply a singer. I don’t think the world is a place where one has to live under just one title—whether as an opera singer or a musical theater actor.”
📌 Excerpt from the article