JINHONG MOON

The baritone Jinhong Moon, born in South Korea in 1996, studied singing with the tenor Jimin Park. While studying at Yonsei University, he performed in gala concerts, singing roles such as Giorgio Germont in La traviata, *Don Giovanni, and roles in La bohème and Le nozze di Figaro. He graduated with top honors and made his Korean stage debut at the Chosun Ilbo Young Musicians Concert in 2024. Since 2024, he has been studying at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts with Professor Michelle Breedt, where he participated in a production of Europeras 3 & 4 and sang the role of “Son Ami” in the opera Le pauvre matelot.

The first round opens with Bellini’s aria “Ah! Per sempre io ti perdei,” a masterpiece of melancholic resignation that requires great vocal control and pathos. It continues with Verdi’s aria “È sogno o realtà?” from Falstaff, a piece that unites comedy with inner drama.

The semifinal continues with “Io morrò, ma lieto in core” from Don Carlo, an aria of great dramatic intensity. The aria is sung by Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa, who, in prison and mortally wounded to save his friend Don Carlo, expresses his joy in dying knowing that he has saved his friend and his mission. The program concludes with Mozart’s aria “Hai già vinta la causa” from Le nozze di Figaro, an example of eighteenth-century musical theatre.