Sumi Jo says her path to opera began with her mother's love for Maria Callas

Opera singer Sumi Jo / Courtesy of SMI

Long before soprano Sumi Jo stepped onto the opera stage, her future had already been decided by her mother's admiration for American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas, Jo said Saturday.

"My mother said hearing Callas on the radio as a teenager shook her to the core," Jo said during a Q&A session following a screening of Pablo Larraín's biopic, "Maria," at Megabox COEX in Gangnam District, Seoul.

"She even vowed that if she ever had a child, she'd raise her to be an opera singer."

That vow shaped Jo's life from the very beginning. Her mother played her recordings of Callas while she was still in the womb as a form of musical prenatal care, according to the soprano.

"From the moment I was born, my destiny was already set," Jo said. "By age four, I was studying vocal music, piano, ballet, Korean dance, figure skating and public speaking — my mother believed all were necessary to stand on the opera stage."

The official Korean poster for "Maria," a biopic directed by Pablo Larraín and starring Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Callas / Courtesy of PANCINEMA

Starring Hollywood actor Angelina Jolie as the legendary soprano, the film traces Callas' tumultuous career and private struggles — parallels that resonated deeply with Jo, especially their shared yearning for love.

Callas' romance with Greek magnate Aristotle Onassis ended in heartbreak and her decline as a singer, leading to depression and vocal issues.

Jo recalled her own turbulent college romance, which led to her expulsion from Seoul National University (SNU).

"I was deeply in love," she said. "Even now, I think of that person when I sing love songs ... For an artist, love is essential."

After leaving SNU, she moved to Italy and enrolled at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. She completed the five-year program in just two years and debuted in 1986 in a production of Verdi's "Rigoletto."

Next year will mark Jo's 40th anniversary as an opera singer.

Jo said if her story were made into a film, she'd include her early struggles abroad —from collapsing from malnutrition to being taught for free by a generous teacher.

"It was full of risk and loneliness — it was a fight," Jo said. "I'm sure Callas felt that too. She probably asked herself, 'Do I really have to live this way? Why am I so alone?' And thinking of that, I, too, constantly remind myself, 'This is my path. So I must keep going.'"

"Maria" is now playing in local theaters.