Baritone Kim Taehan, World-Class Winner, Returns to Debut Stage After Four Years

Kim Taehan Returns to Kumho Art Hall as Resident Musician, Where He Made His Solo Debut
"A Place of Deep Connection... Honored to Be the First Resident Vocalist"
"Verdi's 'Rigoletto' Is My Dream Role... I Will Take My Time"

Baritone Kim Taehan, who is active as a resident musician at Kumho Art Hall this year, recalled four years ago during a press conference held at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei on the 6th. Kumho Art Hall Yonsei is where he made his solo recital debut in 2022, when he was a senior in the vocal music department at Seoul National University. He refined the piece he performed at his debut and, the following year, became the youngest-ever winner and the first Asian to win the vocal category at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition. Having grown into a world-class vocalist, he has now returned as the headliner at the very venue where he debuted-a true homecoming in glory. Since the introduction of the resident musician program in 2013, this is the first time Kumho Art Hall has selected a vocalist rather than an instrumentalist for the position.

Kim Taehan said, "Kumho Art Hall and I share a very close connection through many firsts. It is an honor to become the first resident vocalist at Kumho Art Hall, where I made my solo recital debut."

The resident musician program is a system in which Kumho Art Hall supports the growth of young classical performers under 30 by providing them with concert opportunities. Among domestic venues, Kumho Art Hall was the first to introduce the resident musician program in 2013.

Baritone Kim Taehan, who is an artist-in-residence at Kumho Art Hall in 2026, is sharing his thoughts at a press conference held at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei on the 6th.
Photo by Kumho Cultural Foundation

As a resident musician, Kim Taehan will perform on four occasions, starting with the Kumho Art Hall New Year's Concert on the 8th, followed by concerts in April, July, and October. At the New Year's Concert, he is scheduled to sing 14 opera arias accompanied by pianist Han Hayoon.

For the second concert in April, he will perform opera arias and ensembles with soprano Kim Hyoyoung and tenor Kim Sungho. In the July concert, he will present French art songs with violist Shin Kyungsik and pianist Ilya Rashkovskiy. For the final concert in October, he will perform Schubert's song cycle "Winterreise."

Kim Taehan shared that he enjoys not only German lieder but also French art songs, and that he feels particularly drawn to the third concert in July.

"Compared to German lieder, French art songs can be described as more 'easy listening.' The melodies themselves are beautiful, and the unique timbre of French art songs is especially appealing. While German lieder feel like reciting poetry, French art songs feel more like singing."

The overarching theme of the four concerts is "Persona." In ancient Greek theater, "persona" referred to the masks worn by actors, but today it is commonly used to express "person," "character," or "personality."

Kim Taehan said, "I wanted to capture the professional characteristics of a vocalist and opera singer in a single word. In line with the theme of 'Persona,' I hope to present a different persona at each of the four concerts. I plan to bring a variety of colors to the stage."

Baritone Kim Taehan, who is active as a resident musician at Kumho Art Hall in 2026, is passionately singing "My Desire, My Obsession" from Korngold's opera "Die Tote Stadt" on the 6th at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei.
[Photo by Kumho Cultural Foundation]

Kim Taehan is currently an exclusive singer at the Frankfurt Opera House in Germany. Previously, during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 seasons, he was a studio member at the Berlin State Opera. The performance schedule at German opera houses begins in September and ends in July of the following year. While at the Berlin State Opera, he took on smaller roles and performed in over 100 shows across two seasons. Until the middle of last year, when he was active at the Berlin State Opera, he was so busy that he could rarely visit Korea.

However, at the Frankfurt Opera House, he has taken on more significant roles and found more free time. He said, "For the 2025-2026 season, I will appear in four productions: 'Cos? fan tutte,' 'Carmen,' 'Madama Butterfly,' and 'Tristan und Isolde.' The number of performances is also expected to decrease to about 25-30." With more time available, he made his debut on the domestic full-length opera stage last December, playing Marcello in the Seoul Metropolitan Opera's "La Boh?me."

Kim Taehan named works by Mozart and Verdi as those he most wishes to perform. "So far, the only Mozart role I have studied is Guglielmo in 'Cos? fan tutte,' but I want to try all the baritone roles in Mozart's operas. My dream roles are the baritone parts in Verdi's works. Among them, I would choose Rigoletto, which is considered the pinnacle for baritones. Rigoletto is a very weighty role, so I think I still need more time. I hope that someday, when the opportunity arises, I will be able to perform as Rigoletto."

Kim Taehan added, "I am still young, and my voice is still youthful, so I think taking on heavy roles would be too much for now. I plan to build my career step by step, starting with smaller roles and taking a long-term view."