Jihoon Kim

Korean bass Jihoon Kim studied at Seoul National University, where he graduated as the top-ranked student in vocal performance, and at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, where he graduated with 10 e lode. He has won first prizes at international competitions including the Ferruccio Tagliavini Competition in Austria and the Giulio Neri and Luigi Illica competitions in Italy.

His training was shaped by an exceptional generation of singers. In Italy, he was mentored by Rolando Panerai and studied with Maria Chiara, Carlo Meliciani and Pier Miranda Ferraro. In the UK, he was mentored by Dame Josephine Barstow. What they passed on continues to shape him both as a performer and as a teacher.

Jihoon was a member of the Jette Parker Artists Programme from 2011 to 2013, a Jette Parker Principal in the 2013/14 season and a Principal of The Royal Opera in the 2014/15 season. At the Royal Opera House, he appeared in more than 200 main-stage performances in over 25 roles, including Colline in La Bohème, Pietro in Simon Boccanegra and Doctor Grenvil in La Traviata.

Engagements elsewhere include Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte at Longborough Festival, Silva in Ernani and Timour in Le Roi de Lahore at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, Timur in Turandot and Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Holland Park, Pietro in Simon Boccanegra and Basilio at the Israeli Opera, Il Cieco in Iris at Wexford Festival Opera, Colline in La Bohème at Welsh National Opera, Ferrando in Il Trovatore at Cadogan Hall, and Old Hebrew in Samson et Dalila at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Valencia.

He has performed widely in concerts and recitals throughout South Korea and Europe. Highlights include Verdi’s Requiem in France, Italy and Spain, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle in Rome, Mozart’s Requiem in Milan Cathedral and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. At the Royal Opera House, he also organised and performed in a concert of Korean music in the Paul Hamlyn Hall.
Throughout his career, Jihoon has worked with conductors including Antonio Pappano, Semyon Bychkov, Mark Elder, Christoph Eschenbach, Marc Minkowski, Dan Ettinger and Daniele Rustioni, and directors including David McVicar, Elijah Moshinsky, John Copley, Jonathan Kent and Stefan Herheim.

Alongside his performing career, Jihoon has taught singers since 2000, from pre-conservatoire students to established professionals. His private teaching has included conservatoire graduates and professional singers seeking focused technical or repertoire work. His former students are now performing professionally in the UK and across Europe. He regards passing on what he received from his own teachers, together with what he has learned through his own life on stage, as part of his responsibility to the next generation of singers.

In September 2026, he joined the Guildhall School of Music and Drama as Principal Study Teacher.