Rim Sae-Kyung has played the role of Cio-Cio-san more than 100 times. She tells Tatler why she believes her Hong Kong performance will be the best ever
It takes great dedication to perform one role more than 100 times. Just ask Rim Sae-Kyung.
The South Korean soprano will be playing Cio-Cio-san from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for its Hong Kong production. The opera is regarded as one of Puccini’s most melodious operas and Rim hails the title role which also marks her first debut with Opera Hong Kong.
Performing has been in Rim’s blood, going from Asia to Europe to take on iconic roles and winning international competitions along the way. Now, the dramatic Verdian/Verismo soprano will be delighting Hong Kong audiences with another rendition of Cio-Cio-san.
Ahead of her upcoming performance, Tatler caught up with Rim where she tells us why she believes her Hong Kong performance of Cio-Cio-san will be the best ever.
You’ve been doing opera for many years. How did you first become interested in it?
My first dream was to become a pianist. One day at the piano academy, I happened to sing a nursery rhyme in front of a vocalist, a friend of my teacher. The vocalist who heard my song met my parents in person and convinced them that I should study vocal music in Seoul.
At that time, my family was not in a good shape, and we were living in a very small city. But thanks to the advice of the vocalist, I got my first exposure to the vocal music world.
You studied music at Hanyang University first. Did you always know you wanted to go overseas to study?
My father passed away in an unfortunate car accident, so I was put into a situation where I couldn’t go study abroad. However, such difficult situations strengthened my dream for studying overseas and that eagerness especially became stronger after graduating from Hanyang University. In vocal music, a strong mentality is a very important quality and I was gifted to earn such talent by going through hardships at a younger age.
What’s your favourite opera to watch?
Should I include the new ones? All in all, I try to watch opera with professionalism, but if I have to choose one, I prefer past productions from the 80s and 90s which I get a lot of positive energies that are inexplicable, although the directing and clothing are relatively outdated.
See also: A Day in the Life of Warren Mok, Founder of Opera Hong Kong