top of page

BIOGRAPHY

Ok-Ja Lim

Ok-Ja Lim earned widespread critical acclaim for her many fine performances with opera companies across the United States and in Europe. She is mostly noted for her portrayal of Cio-Cio San, appearing in the role with the Arizona Opera in Tucson and Phoenix for her second season, with Nevada Opera Theatre in Las Vegas, Sarasota opera in Sarasota, FL, - “Giacomo Puccini Would Have Been Delighted!  All the elements have come together on a top-quality level; Ok-Ja Lim’s voice is extraordinary, true, strong and warm. Add the inimitable charm of her movement, and you have found the ideal of what Cio-Cio San should be.”-The Music Scene by Herman Baar, The Longboat Observer----Florida, “Soprano Ok-Ja Lim is a Butterfly of the very highest calibre ... She’s simply wonderful; a strong, warm, effortless soprano, a major voice just waiting to be discovered, I have yet to see or hear a more beautiful Butterfly.” -Bright and Early with Gregg Whiteside, WQXR, New York Times -New York City

Nevada Opera Association in Reno, NV, The Westchester Lyric Festival in White Plains, NY, Opera Delaware in Wilmington, DE, Brooklyn Opera Society in NY as well as with Choong-Bouk Opera in Korea. Her flexibility of voice couples with her animated personality on-stage give Ms. Lim’s performance an exciting and uniquely entertaining quality, as evident in her appearance as Oscar in UN BALLO IN MASCHERA with the Chattanooga Symphony Opera in Chattanooga, TN. The highlights of Ms. Lim’s career include recitals in U.S. cities such as Philadelphia, Washington D.C., St Paul, Princeton, Wilmington and New York City as well as in Busan, Korea, Porto Alegre, Brazil and Brussels, Belgium, as well as special concerts on Great Opera Arias in Switzerland and for the Holiday Dinner Concert at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She was personally invited to give a guest performance of Madama Butterfly for the Master Class of Madame Licia Albanese at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. A taped version of Ms. Lim’s Butterfly, produced by the National Educational Television Network and the Brooklyn Opera Society, which was aired on local PBS television in the New York Metropolitan Area. Recently, she was featured as a guest on Focus on Women with Florence Rapaport on Cable Vision in Long Island, NY. The tape of this appearance has been preserved at the Schlesinger Library of Harvard University (Women of the 20th Century in America). Ms, Lim was also on Good Morning America on ABC TV in Philadelphia, as well as on a Korean TV Show and on Manhattan Cable TV in New York City. Recently she appeared on Ebru-TV’s “World in America-Korean Episode”.

 

As a guest soloist, she was invited to perform with the N. Korea State Philharmonic Orchestra during “The 27th Spring International Art Festival” in Pyongyang, N. Korea with a Gold Prize Award as an excellent artist, with Pusan Civic Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chung-Joo Civic Orchestra in Korea. 

For the Haiti Benefit Concert in Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center in March 2010, Miss Lim performed as a vocal soloist with a group of internationally renowned and active musicians who are the alumni of the Juilliard School of Music. As a Featured Artist, she was invited to perform for the American Cancer Society’s Fundraising Gala Concert in Flushing, NY in June, 2012. El mundo, Haunted Houses Projects by White Columns & Rainer Ganahl, she performed at Classical Music Concert at El Mundo Theatre in Manhattan on January 23, 2013.   

 

After winning the Artists International Young Musicians competition in New York City, Ms. Lim gave her debut recital at Weill Hall of Carnegie Hall, New York City, for which she was favorably reviewed by New York Times. -“Miss Lim was at her best in four Rachmaninoff works sung in Russian. She was able to let her voice out

in an operatic manner, and the big phrases had line and dramatic power. The voice has an instrumental timbre with a touch of hardness that is very effective at full strength.”

The New York Times ----New York, NY

 

 Ms. Lim graduated with honors from The Juilliard School of Music, where she earned her Post Graduate Diploma with the Initial Award of Fritzl Jokl-Siegel Memorial Scholarship in Voice.  

 

She had previously earned a Master of Music degree from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA as a recipient of the Raymond Hubbell Music Scholarship (Composer of Poor Butterfly) after completing her undergraduate studies at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea.

 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

 

As a Guest Artist, she was invited to give her recitals and to conduct the Master Classes for voice students at Winthrop College, Rock Hill, South Carolina

Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio and Porto Alegre Music College, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

 

As a Voice/Vocal Coach, Ms. Lim has been working with young and talented singers in New York City, especially for sopranos who are preparing the title role of Madama Butterfly, vocally as well as authentic style of interpretation in movement, dancing, costume design, Geisha makeup and hair style design.

bottom of page