In December 2016, Julian Kim made his debut as Ezio in Verdi’s Attila at Teatro La Fenice, under the baton of renowned conductor Riccardo Frizza, alongside soprano Vittoria Yeo as Odabella. Verdi’s Attila, which premiered at La Fenice in 1846, is closely tied to the spirit of the Italian unification movement, the Risorgimento. Drawing on the legendary conflict between the Huns and Romans, the opera symbolized Italy’s struggle against foreign domination. In the 2016 production, this political symbolism was brought to the fore with a staging that set the story during 19th-century Austrian-occupied Italy, contrasting Attila’s Huns with Italian patriots. As Ezio — the Roman general based on the historical Flavius Aetius — Julian Kim brought both vocal authority and dramatic gravitas to one of Verdi’s most politically charged roles. His performance was praised for its firm, resonant tone, refined Italian diction, and expressive phrasing — “pause and legato straight from the score,” as one attender noted, “this is how a great Roman general should sing.”