How opera director Ahn Joo-eun uses music to connect world

Opera director Ahn Joo-eun appears on a poster for Verdi's opera "Aida" performed in Sicily in August. Courtesy of Ahn Joo-eun

When Ahn Joo-eun left for Russia in 2000 after one year at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the desire for the music student was to seek independence from her famly.

"I didn't let my parents know that I was leaving Italy. And I kept it like that for two years," Ahn, a 45-year-old opera director, told The Korea Times during an interview in Seoul Monday. She studied vocal music at a university in Novosibirsk, a city in central Russia.

Looking back, she believes that the random decision to move to the Russian city laid the foundation for her career as an opera director who is also actively connecting Korea with the wider world through music.

When Ahn arrived in the Russian city over two decades ago, she didn't speak a word of Russian.

“I didn’t leave my room for three days until I had memorized the alphabet," she recalled. She pushed herself to learn the language quickly.

After acquiring a bit of fluency in the Russian language, she took side jobs to support herself, among which was an interpreter position with Orion, the Korean snack company known for Choco Pies, assisting Korean staff who were stationed in Novosibirsk to oversee factory operations.

Her life changed dramatically in her final year at the university. While preparing for her graduation recital, she fell gravely ill and slipped into a coma for 20 days.

“I had pneumonia, asthma and tuberculosis at the same time and I even had a nodule removed from my neck,” she recalled. “The doctor told me to stop singing. For a vocalist, that was like the end of the world.”

Instead of giving up, Ahn sought other paths. She contacted a local opera house in Novosibirsk and landed a job as an assistant director.

“That marked the beginning of my career as a director,” she said. Later, she moved to the U.S. to earn a doctorate in opera directing.

By the time she was tapped to organize the Korea-Italy diplomatic concert commemorating the 140th anniversary of Korea-Italy diplomatic relations in 2024, Ahn had already directed some 350 opera productions.

At the diplomatic concert — titled "The Sound of the World Becoming One" — she brought together nearly 200 musicians from both countries to a program including opera arias and Italian canzone as well as Korean traditional music and dance.

“It was a great show,” Ahn recalled.

A scene from Verdi's opera "Aida" directed by Ahn Joo-eun / Courtesy of Ahn Joo-eun

The event opened new doors for her.

The Italian island of Sicily invited her to direct two of Verdi’s masterpieces — "La Traviata" and "Aida" — at the historic Teatro Antico di Taormina in May and August this year.

Ahn also organized anniversary events for the Mongolian and Kyrgyz embassies in Seoul in April, followed by helming Puccini’s "Madame Butterfly" at the National Opera Theater in Ulaanbaatar in June. Later, the Kyrgyz embassy in Korea appointed her an honorary ambassador for the Central Asian country.

Another Korea-Mongolia concert is scheduled for Nov. 21 in Seoul, which she will also direct.

“Where I work is where Korea is,” she said, reflecting on her role in organizing concerts to mark diplomatic milestones. “Music is more powerful than language. I believe what I do is a form of diplomacy.”

Aside her directorial work, she will return to the stage as a singer as well. On Nov. 15 and 16, she will perform in the opera "Genghis Khan" in Mongolia by leading Mongolian composer, Byambasuren Sharav, taking the role of the conqueror’s mother.

“Knowing that I am a trained mezzo-soprano, even though I’m not in perfect vocal shape, they gave me this chance. I’m grateful and I’ll give it my best,” she said.

As an opera director, Ahn describes her work as all-encompassing.

“From the singers’ movements to stage lighting, I have to know and instruct everything. When I have a project coming up, I’m constantly thinking about every detail.”

She draws inspiration from films, watching one every day. Her all-time favorites include "The Intern" (2015), "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006) and "Eat, Pray, Love" (2010).