"Elina Garanca and friends" 2026 Meet the guest soloists. Hera Hyesang Park

Praised for her “radiant, seemingly effortless singing” (The Times) with “a sense of pure joy and excitement” (OperaWire), soprano Hera Hyesang Park is celebrated not only for her exquisite voice and stagecraft, but also for the profound ideas embodied in her work. Trained at The Juilliard School, she brings a cosmopolitan perspective that blends her Korean heritage and Western life experiences in a style she describes as “traditional but uncommon”: technically immaculate, tonally rich, and guided by a fearless stage presence. In the 2025/26 season, Park returns to the Edinburgh International Festival as Servilia La clemenza di Tit), to the Metropolitan Opera as Zerlina Don Giovanni, and to Boston Baroque as Ilia Idomeneo. She makes debut appearances with the Malaysia Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, São Paulo Symphony, and Deutsche Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, and undertakes more than ten performances of Susanna Le nozze di Figaro with Opera North. She also appears in recital at the Seoul Arts Centre, Vilagarcía, Bilbao, Leeds Lieder, and Pembroke College, Cambridge. Recent engagements include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, Haydn’s The Creation with Boston Baroque, and concerts with New York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine. San Diego Symphony, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Wiener Symphoniker. She has performed Despina Così fan tutte at the Edinburgh International Festival and Opéra de Paris, Pamina Die Zauberflöte and Nannetta Falstaff at the Metropolitan Opera, Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia and Susanna at Glyndebourne Festival, Musetta La bohème at Komische Oper Berlin, and Violetta in Marina Abramović’s 7 Deaths of Maria Callas for Bayerische Staatsoper and Opéra de Paris.
A Deutsche Grammophon exclusive artist, Park released her Echo Klassik award winning second album Breathe in 2024, described as “intoxicating” (Textura) and praising “Park’s leonine and lean sound, with clear diction and an evenness of projection across her vocal range.” (The Classic Review). Her debut album I am Hera (2020) features repertoire spanning Bellini, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Korean composers Joowon Kim and Un-Yung La, reflecting her commitment to combining Western and Korean traditions in a deeply personal artistic vision. Recognised as a standout talent from an early age, Park studied at Seoul National University before earning an Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School. She went on to join the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and achieved international recognition in 2015 as a winner of Plácido Domingo’s Operalia Competition. Her many accolades include first prize at the Gerda Lissner International Competition, the Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award, and the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship. Praised for her “radiant, seemingly effortless singing” (The Times) and “sense of pure joy and excitement” (OperaWire), soprano Hera Hyesang Park is celebrated for her exquisite voice, stagecraft, and profound artistic vision. Trained at The Juilliard School, she blends her Korean heritage with Western musical traditions, offering a technically assured, tonally rich, and fearless stage presence. In the 2025/26 season, Park returns to the Edinburgh International Festival as Servilia La clemenza di Tito, to the Metropolitan Opera as Zerlina Don Giovanni, and to Boston Baroque as Ilia Idomeneo. She makes debuts with the Malaysia Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, São Paulo Symphony, and Deutsche Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, and performs over ten shows as Susanna Le nozze di Figaro with Opera North. She also appears in recital at the Seoul Arts Centre, Vilagarcía, Bilbao, Leeds Lieder, and Pembroke College, Cambridge. Recent engagements include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Haydn’s The Creation with Boston Baroque, Despina Così fan tutte at Edinburgh, and returns to the San Diego Symphony, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Wiener Symphoniker. Key opera roles have included Pamina Die Zauberflöte and Nannetta Falstaff at the Metropolitan Opera, Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia and Susanna at Glyndebourne, Musetta La bohème at Komische Oper Berlin, and Violetta in Marina Abramović’s 7 Deaths of Maria Callas for Bayerische Staatsoper and Opéra de Paris. A Deutsche Grammophon exclusive artist, Park’s recordings include award winning Breathe (2024) and I am Hera (2020), which combines Western and Korean repertoire. She is a winner of Operalia, Gerda Lissner International Competition, the Hildegard Behrens Award, and is a former Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist. Noted for both her artistic and cultural influence, she appeared at the 2018 Met Gala in a Giambattista Valli gown selected by Anna Wintour. Praised for her “radiant, seemingly effortless singing” (The Times) and “sense of pure joy and excitement” (OperaWire), soprano Hera Hyesang Park is celebrated for her exquisite voice, magnetic stagecraft, and profound artistic vision. A Juilliard graduate, she blends her Korean heritage with Western traditions, offering performances marked by tonal richness, immaculate technique, and fearless presence. In the 2025/26 season, Park returns to the Edinburgh International Festival as Servilia La clemenza di Tito, the Metropolitan Opera as Zerlina Don Giovanni, and Boston Baroque as Ilia Idomeneo. She makes debuts with the Malaysia Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony, São Paulo Symphony, and Deutsche Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, and sings over ten performances as Susanna Le nozze di Figaro with Opera North. Recitals take her to the Seoul Arts Centre, Vilagarcía, Bilbao, Leeds Lieder, and Pembroke College, Cambridge. Her recent highlights include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Haydn’s The Creation with Boston Baroque, Despina Così fan tutte at both Edinburgh and Paris, and concerts with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, and San Diego Symphony. Operatic credits span Pamina Die Zauberflöte and Nannetta Falstaff at the Met, Rosina Il barbiere di Siviglia and Susanna at Glyndebourne, Musetta La bohème at Komische Oper Berlin, and Violetta in Marina Abramović’s 7 Deaths of Maria Callas at Bayerische Staatsoper and Opéra de Paris. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, Park has released two acclaimed albums: I am Hera (2020) and Breathe (2024). A winner of Operalia, the Gerda Lissner Competition, and the Hildegard Behrens Award, she is also a former Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist.