Joanna Kim, a Korean-American lyric coloratura soprano, is praised for her “crystal-clear” voice and compelling stage presence (Stage Scene LA). She has earned top honors in numerous competitions, including 1st Place in the Gwendolyn Roberts Young Artist Auditions of NATS-Los Angeles (NATS-LA), one of the district winners in the NATSAA Artist Award Competition (Cal-Western Division), and 1st Place in the Coeur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition (2026).

This season, she will sing the role of Cunegonde in Candide with Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point and cover the role of Blonde in Pacific Opera Project’s Abduction from the Seraglio, a Star Trek-themed production. Earlier in the season, she appeared as Sophie in Terrence McNally’s Master Class at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, directed by Tim Dang; as Christine in a reduced version of The Phantom of the Opera with Pacific Opera Project’s outreach program; and participated in the Verdi Marathon in Busseto, Italy, hosted by Mirko Matarazzo, a renowned vocal coach who studied under Mirella Freni, Luciano Pavarotti, and Franco Corelli. Joanna is also a member of Adoro Ensemble, a Los Angeles-based vocal chamber group led by Artistic Director Dr. Joung-A.

In the summer of 2025, Joanna returned to Italy to perform Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Regium Lepidi Opera Company and joined the chorus of Pacific Opera Project’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore. As a Resident Artist at Opera North (2024), she performed Diana (Orphée aux enfers), Cinderella (Into the Woods), and covered Gilda (Rigoletto). Other recent credits include Son in The Juniper Tree by Philip Glass and Robert Moran, Norina (Don Pasquale), Zerlina (Don Giovanni) at the Thornton School of Music, USC, and a concert performance of Star Singer in collaboration with Beth Morrison Project.

Her undergraduate highlights at NEC include Amore (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Amahl (Amahl and the Night Visitors), and soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer. Joanna has been a finalist in the Opera Guild Vocal Competition, the Carolyn Bailey and Dominick Argento Vocal Competition, and the Classical Singer Competition (Young Artist Division)

Joanna has also featured various video games' official soundtracks. She was featured in the multi-award-winning video game, Lies of P. She can be heard in her solo track, “Arche Abbey,” streaming on all online platforms. She also appears in the viral Korean YouTube variety show, UMAGAME, singing in the original television soundtrack.

Joanna received her Master’s Degree in Music in Vocal Arts from The Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC), studying under the tutelage of Lynn Helding. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with a Vocal Performance and Music Education Concentration from the New England Conservatory of Music.