Olivier Award-nominated soprano Karen Parks will join Korean musical star Kai in his first world tour in Los Angeles.
“Kai Into the World” will be held at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica at 5 p.m. on May 11 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Korea Daily.
L.A. musical lovers will be excited to see world-class soprano singer Karen Parks making a guest appearance.
Parks is an Associate Professor of Vocal Arts and Opera at USC’s Thornton School of Music, a renowned classical music program that includes performance faculty from the LA Philharmonic. Parks is also the Director and CEO of Stage Bound.
According to EpicLive, the U.S. touring organization for “Kai Into the World,” Parks’s guest appearance was made possible through a high school connection between Kai and pianist Junghee An, a teaching assistant at USC’s Thornton School of Music.
Parks is an Olivier Award nominee, one of the world’s three highest honors for the performing arts, for her role as Cindy Lou in “Carmen Jones” at London’s Old Vic Theatre, and a #1 Billboard chart-topping soprano.
As Broadway’s leading classical panelist and vocal consultant, she has performed in 12 languages at major opera houses and concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Recital Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, London’s Old Vic, New York’s Apollo, the Kennedy Center, and the Boston Pops. Her recordings include “Harry T. Burleigh” (Classical), which reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts, “Carmen Jones” (EMI), and “Rosa Parks: Pure Love.”
On the duet stage with Kai, she will sing “Maria” from “West Side Story” followed by the iconic duet “Tonight” from the same musical. Afterward, Parks will perform “Dat’s Love” from “Carmen Jones” solo, and then they will end the first part by singing “All I Ask of You” from “Phantom of the Opera” together.
“Kai Into the World” opens Part 1 with Kai performing four musical theater pieces created by world-renowned musical theater producer Cameron Mackintosh. Following this, Kai and Parks will perform a duet.
Part 2 will open with a Frank Wildhorn piece, and the final performance will feature the Korean premiere of an original musical.
Kai will conclude his world tour at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 6, and will continue his performance at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, the Carnegie Hall of the west coast, on May 11.
The performance, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Korea Daily in America, is currently on sale for 50% off at the Korea Daily’s online shopping mall, Hotdeal. Tickets can be purchased at hotdeal.koreadaily.com.
Address: Broad Stage Performing Arts Center – Music Building, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica.
BY EUNYOUNG LEE, JUNHAN PARKÂ Â [lee.eunyoung6@koreadaily.com]
