Hailed as an “astonishing countertenor” by The New York Times, Kangmin Justin Kim is one of today’s most sought-after singers, acclaimed for his artistry and versatility in Baroque repertoire, Mozart roles, Romantic opera, twentieth-century works and contemporary music.

In summer 2022, the Korean-American mezzo-sopranist, now a naturalized French citizen, created the role of Song Liling in the world premiere of M. Butterfly at Santa Fe Opera, earning rave reviews for his “alluring, ringing tone” and “sensitivity as an actor” (The New York Times). In 2019, he had already made history with his Royal Opera House debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, becoming the first male singer to perform the role on that stage.

Highlights of the 2026/27 season include his Australian debut as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel at State Opera South Australia, his role debut as Orfeo in a new production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki, the title role of M. Butterfly at La Monnaie Bruxelles, and Ruggiero in a concert performance of Alcina with Collegium 1704 at the Handel Festival in Halle.

Recent engagements have included Sesto in a new production of Giulio Cesare at Opernhaus Zurich, Wiener Staatsoper and the Opéra de Monte-Carlo; Natasha in Tri Sestri at the Salzburg Festival; house debuts at Opera Philadelphia and Boston Lyric Opera (Four Seasons), Dallas Opera (Hansel in Hansel and Gretel), and Opéra du Rhin (Nerone in L’incoronazione di Poppea); as well as multiple appearances at Staatsoper Hamburg, both as Annio (La clemenza di Tito), Despina (Così fan tutte), and in the world premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Die dunkle Seite des Mondes. Other recent highlights include M. Butterfly at London’s Barbican Hall; Ruggiero (Orlando furioso) at Teatro La Fenice; Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) with The English Concert in Madrid and Barcelona; and the Witch (Hansel and Gretel) in Wiesbaden.

Further past performances include Nerone at Staatsoper Berlin, the Salzburg Festival, Teatro La Fenice, and in New York, Paris, Berlin, Chicago, Edinburgh, and Lucerne; Annio at Theater an der Wien; Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) at Oper Köln; Orfeo (Il Parnasso in festa), Epitide (La Merope), and Amanzio (Il Giustino) at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam; Ottone (La Griselda), Gilade (Farnace); and Hyacinthus (Apollo et Hyacinthus) at Teatro La Fenice. He also made debuts at Wiener Staatsoper in Henze’s Das verratene Meer, at Glyndebourne in Giulio Cesare (Nireno), and at Teatro San Carlo Naples in Britten’s Canticles.

Born in South Korea and raised in Evanston, Kangmin Justin Kim now lives in Paris. He studied voice, opera, and musical theater at Northwestern University in Evanston and the Royal Academy of Music in London. His professional operatic debut in 2013 was soon followed by performances as Orlofsky at Opéra Comique and Oreste (La Belle Hélène) at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

He has collaborated with conductors including Leonardo García Alarcón, Harry Bicket, Gianluca Capuano, William Christie, Diego Fasolis, Adam Fischer, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Emmanuelle Haïm, Andrea Marcon, Marc Minkowski, Raphaël Pichon, Emmanuel Villaume, Omer Meir Wellber, and Simone Young.

August 2026

[Photos: Peter Schmid]