Soprano Jo Su-mi Teams Up with SM Classics: What to Expect from Her 40th Anniversary Album ‘Continuum’?

Translation result. [Herald Economy=Seung-hee Ko, Reporter] Soprano Sumi Jo, celebrated around the world, has signed with SM Entertainment.

On April 21, SM Entertainment said Jo signed an exclusive album and digital-release agreement with its SM Classics label and will release Continuum, an album commemorating the 40th anniversary of her international debut, next month. Jo is the first recording artist to sign exclusively with SM Classics. The arrangement, typical of major global labels, centers on planning, recording and distribution of albums and digital tracks.

Jo said the anniversary record “represents the fruit of a long journey and, at the same time, a new beginning,” adding, “My music does not remain in any single moment; it continues and moves toward new possibilities.”

She said the album “includes everything from technically demanding coloratura arias I have not previously recorded to new works by contemporary composers. My sincere approach to music is to break down the boundaries between the heritage of classical tradition and modern sensibility, and to keep pushing toward new music rather than remaining on familiar paths.”

Continuum collects 11 tracks that trace Jo’s past, present and future. Leading composers from Korea and abroad contributed, including Yiruma, Park Jong-hoon, Kim Jin-hwan, Choi Jin, Ko Young-hwan, Yoon Ja-eun and Takatsugu Muramatsu. The Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra performs under the baton of Choi Young-sun, Jo’s longtime collaborator. The record also features a duet with EXO’s Suho and a guest appearance by violinist Dani Gu.

To mark her 40th anniversary, Jo will tour South Korea in May with performances in Seoul, Changwon, Bucheon and Yongin. In July she will hold the second Sumi Jo International Vocal Competition at the Château de la Ferté-en-Beauce in France, an event aimed at discovering new talent and broadening classical music’s reach.