Kihwan Sim
Bass-baritone
© Barbara Aumüller
During the 2025/26 season Kihwan Sim, who joined Oper Frankfurt's ensemble in 2012/13, sings Escamillo in Carmen and Uncle Bonze in Madama Butterfly again and Orbazzano in a new production of Rossini's Tancredi. Last season he enjoyed great success with the Animal Tamer / Athlete & Banco in new productions of Berg's Lulu & Verdi's Macbeth, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, the Herald in Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher and in the title role of Le nozze di Figaro. The previous season he sang wonderful performances of Ramfis & the King of Egypt in a new Aida, Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Orest in (Elektra) and Lodovico (Verdi's Otello). Other recent roles for the company included his first Gremins (Eugene Onegin), King Marc (Frank Martin's Le vin herbé), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Capellio (a new Rossini's Bianca e Falliero) and Gottardo (La gazza ladra). He also sang in Verdi's Requiem and Bruckner's Te Deum in Museums Concerts. This Korean artist enjoyed success singing other roles for the first time at Oper Frankfurt, including Verdi's Ferrando (Il trovatore), Jean Procida (Les vêpres siciliennes) and, in concert, Oberto and Don Ruy Gomez de Silva in Ernani and thrilled audiences here with Rodolfo (La sonnambula), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Méphistophélès (La damnation de Faust), Nick Shadow (Rake’s Progress), Tiridate (Radamisto), Truffaldin / A Wig Maker (Ariadne auf Naxos) and Sir Giorgio (I puritani). He recently sang Timur in Turandot at Opera Steinbruch in St. Margarethen, Escamillo at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen and returned to the Met in New York, where he made his debut as Colline in La Bohème, for Masetto in Don Giovanni. Kihwan Sim has sung at Covent Garden in London, Cologne Opera, the Staatsoper in Budapest, Savonlinna Opera Festival, the Bolschoi in Moscow, Soeul Arts Centre and Nice Opera. He studied in Seoul and Hamburg and enjoyed success at international competitions including the Concours Régine Crespin in Paris and Mirjam Helin Competition in Helsinki.