Kyu Won Han

Life and career

Kyu-Won Han was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1972. After receiving his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, Han made his debut in 1999 as Masetto in Don Giovanni at the San Francisco Opera. An alumnus of its prestigious Adler Fellowship Program and the Merola Opera Program, he also featured in Turandot, Carmen and Madame Butterfly among others. In 2001 Han made his European debut as Ping in the Opera National du Rhin production of "Turandot"; he appeared as Papageno in Die Zauberflote with the New National Theater of Tokyo. His recent performances include the role of Figaro in the Opera National de Bordeaux production of Barber of Seville and double roles as Yamadori and Sharpless in "Madame Butterfly" at the Hyogo Performing Arts Center. Han is also active on the concert stage, and his credits include Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, and Mahler's Eighth Symphony, Mendelssohn's "Elijah", "Carmina Burana" among numerous others. He is the recipient of many awards that include the Belvedere Competition, the Oratorio Society Competition, the Licia Albanese/ Puccini Competition, and the Di Capo Opera Competition to name a few. Han also released his debut CD, "Questo Amor", from Avex Classics. He also sings "Nim Ui No Rae", main theme from the Korean TV Drama King Sejong the Great.