cultural activities
24
finnish cultural foundation
annual report 2013–2014
24
-year old tenor
Beomjin Kim
,
winner of the first prize for
men in the 2015 MirjamHelin
International Singing Competition, held
his listeners spellbound with a charming
voice that lent itself with graceful ease to
a whole gamut of emotions. His delivery
had a child-like, effortless quality and the
enjoyment he derived from living his part
was obvious. Seldom does one encounter
such a phenomenal tenor, yet this talented
Korean came to classical music almost by
accident.
“No one else in my family sings, but we
always listened to classical music a lot at
home,” he says.
As a teenager, Kim was interested not
so much in classical music as in Korean
pop, which he both listened to and sang.
Then in high-school, at the age of 18, his
teacher noticed he had a good voice and
suggested classical.
“I was very lucky because I got into the
best Korean university to study classical
voice. I also happened to get an extremely
good teacher, and we just clicked.”
Mastering a cast-iron technique and
making rapid progress have called for
untiring hard work; nothing has come free.
“You can play an instrument for
hours on end, but you can’t go on singing
indefinitely. I sing for an hour each day.
I don’t take any days off. Singing is not
stressful for me, but not singing is,” he
laughs. “I practise in the mornings and in
the afternoons I do sport with my friends.
I play football and tennis, and I swim, and
that helps my breathing technique as well!”
Kim has a strict work ethic, but he is
also aware that he has talent and what this
involves, and he tries to preserve a natural
approach to singing.
“I try to practise in a natural way and to
observe howmy voice is developing.” You
can tell this from listening to him: even in
the back row of the hall you can sense his
spontaneity, his unforced voice and his
a pleasure.”
Asked about the future, the modest
rising star says he intends to keep his feet
firmly on the ground.
“I’ve got some engagements lined up
in Korea, and I don’t want to think too
far ahead. I might try to go and study in
Europe next year. But first I want to do
my next solo performances as well as I
possibly can.”
A baritone of many voices
The second prize for men went to
Matija
Meić
, beating all the other baritones
love of singing. In the competition he was
in his element as the romantic hero of an
Italian opera. Some of his favourite roles
are Rodolfo in La Bohème, whose timid
love aria he sang in the Final, Nemorino in
L’Elisir d’Amore and Alfredo in La Traviata.
“I love these characters. I can relate
to them and they strike me as familiar.
I particularly like serenades,” he shyly
confesses. “Before a performance, I try to
get right inside the character. I imagine
what sort of life he leads and how it would
feel to be in his shoes. But I hope to do all
sorts of roles.”
So how did Kim come to be competing
in Helsinki? He knew some fellow-
Koreans had excelled in the Mirjam Helin
Competition and decided to find out more.
It was then that he noticed the competition
was due this very year. Despite his lack of
years, he already has experience of big
international competitions. Even so, a
competition is always nerve-racking, he
says. “I was terribly surprised when I won,”
he admits, bewildered and happy. He
speaks of the competition in glowing
terms, especially as even the outdoor
temperature had dropped to ideal by the
end of the Final.
“The organisation has been fantastic
and the people here are all so kind. The
competition had a broad repertoire and
there were lots of rules concerning it, so I
learnt a lot preparing for it. Singing in the
big Helsinki Music Centre concert hall was
a great experience. The acoustics were not
as I expected. The hall was really big, yet
my voice carried well. Singing there was
A passion for singing
Beomjin Kim, winner of the first prize for men, and Matija Meić,
who came second, kept their audiences enthralled with their
powerful interpretations.
"Mastering a cast-iron technique and making rapid
progress have called for untiring hard work. "
Bold repertoire and dazzling charisma
won Matija Meić the second prize.
He was also awarded the prize for the
best performance of a Finnish song.
