6/3/2023 0 Comments Korean opera music… I was the first Korean ever to sing in the competition. “I don’t think I would have entered the competition without my wife’s encouragement. Then in 1990 he entered the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. In 1988 Brother Choi accepted an invitation to sing with the Philadelphia Opera Company, and the Choi family moved to the United States. I feel grateful to the Lord every time I sing.” I have always tried to follow that counsel. He told me to have faith in my ability and to have faith in the gift Heavenly Father had given me. … The day of the competition I was very nervous. “For me, winning the Verdi Competition marked the beginning of my professional career. Brother Choi then took first place in the prestigious Verdi Music Competition in Busseto, Italy. Two years later the Korean and Italian governments awarded scholarships to Brother Choi, and the Chois moved to Milan, Italy, where he spent the next few years studying at the Osimo Academy, the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory, and La Scala Theater Academy. His commitment to the Church-and to Kyung Shin-deepened, and he was baptized and married in 1982. With her encouragement, Brother Choi accepted the missionary discussions and a copy of the Book of Mormon. The assistant director was a young lady named Kyung Shin, who had joined the Church 10 years earlier. Not only did I sing with the choir, I eventually became its director,” he said. When I met the members of the Korean Mormon Choir I felt welcome. Although he sang regularly for another church, “I was looking for a church and a doctrine I could relate to. In 1981, though not a Church member, he was invited to be soloist for a Christmas concert with the Korean Mormon Choir. Now, over 30 years later, he has gained international acclaim singing in opera houses and recital halls in Europe, Asia, and the United States.īrother Choi received his first vocal training while a student at Yon Sei University in Seoul. At that time, Western music wasn’t readily available in Korea, but after he happened to listen to a couple of old Enrico Caruso records, he knew he wanted to sing opera. Korean-born baritone Hans Choi was only 12 years old when he decided he wanted to be a professional singer.
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