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SM Entertainment signs soprano Sumi Jo, will release her 40th anniversary album in May

Published: 21 Apr. 2026, 10:33 Updated: 21 Apr. 2026, 18:17

YOON SO-YEON
[email protected]

Soprano Sumi Jo [KIM YEONG-JUN]

SM Entertainment signed an exclusive recording contract with Korea's leading soprano, Sumi Jo, and will release “Continuum,” her album celebrating her 40th anniversary of debut, in May.

“This album is a symbol of both the fruits of many years of effort and another beginning,” Jo said in a press release.

Jo chose SM Entertainment's classical music subsidiary, SM Classics, to push the boundaries of Korea's classical music field, according to the K-pop agency.

“My music does not stay in one point in time,” Jo said. “It is a continuum toward new possibilities in the future. This album features new music from contemporary composers [...] that requires much skill. To blur the demarcations of the traditions left by classics and to continue to push myself to make new music rather than stay on familiar ground — that is how I express my sincerity toward music.”

The soprano's upcoming album “Continuum” will carry 11 tracks that embody just that — her past, present and future. Korea's leading composers and the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra played a role in the creation of the album, with the latter providing instrumentals. Singer Suho from boy band EXO and violinist Danny Koo are also featured to add a touch of modernity to the classical album.

SM Classics logo [SM CLASSICS]

SM Classics also recently welcomed Cho Hee-kyung, a classical and jazz music producer, as its new CEO to kick off a new chapter for the music label.

“With Sumi Jo's new album, SM Classics will endeavor to globalize Korean artists' classical, crossover and jazz music under the slogan, 'Classical Heritage, Modern Seoul,'” Cho said.

BY YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]