Eun Sun Kim Named Music Director of San Francisco Opera
December 5, 2019
“From my very first moments at San Francisco Opera, I felt this was home. There was an unusual feeling of open collaboration across so many facets of the Company—a real sense of professional alchemy. I’m deeply honored to be joining the San Francisco Opera family and helping to carry this incredible lineage forward.”
Eun Sun Kim has been appointed the Caroline H. Hume Music Director of San Francisco Opera, making her the first woman to serve as music director of a Level 1 American opera house.
Ms. Kim will become the fourth music director in the history of San Francisco Opera, leading the orchestra, chorus, and music staff, and working with General Director Matthew Shilvock; Managing Director: Artistic Gregory Henkel; and other members of the Company on repertoire and casting. She will be a key member of the creative leadership, helping to shape the artistic direction of the Company’s second century, working closely with the young artist programs, and bringing great opera to Bay Area audiences.
Effective immediately, Ms. Kim is Music Director Designate; she will participate in the planning of future seasons and in orchestral auditions. She will conduct the Company’s new production of Beethoven’s Fidelio as part of the opening weekend of the 2020–21 season. Complete information about San Francisco Opera’s 2020–21 season will be announced in January.
As Music Director, she will conduct up to four productions in each season of her initial five-year contract, in addition to conducting concerts, working with San Francisco Opera’s resident artist Adler Fellows, and participating in the executive leadership of the organization.
Born in South Korea, 39-year-old Eun Sun Kim conducts frequently at major opera houses across Europe and is increasingly recognized in North America as an insightful interpreter of the operatic and symphonic repertoire. She made her U.S. debut in September 2017, leading a production of La traviata at Houston Grand Opera, and she was subsequently named the company’s first principal guest conductor in 25 years. Last month, she made her Washington National Opera debut conducting Die Zauberflöte, and upcoming U.S. company debuts include productions at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and LA Opera. She returns to Houston Grand Opera in April for a production of Salome. In the concert hall, she has conducted the Cincinnati Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Milwaukee Symphony, and future performances include subscription concerts with the New York Philharmonic and Oregon, San Diego, and Seattle symphonies.
Photo by Marc Olivier Le Blanc
“Eun Sun Kim brings a unique energy to San Francisco Opera. She connects all of us—audiences, artists, technicians, administrators—in the pursuit of one singular artistic journey, bringing thoughtful leadership, deep compassion, and an incredible respect for everyone in the theater. She leads with great vision on the podium but also welcomes each and every person into the creative process, inviting them to do their very best work. The resulting art is spectacular. This community can look forward to a future of extraordinary music-making that connects deeply to the core of what it means to be human. It is a privilege to welcome Eun Sun to be our next music director.”