Recently a receipient of the Opera Index Tito Capobianco Award, Second Prize winner of the Gerda Lissner Foundation, Finalist in the Vincerò Opera Competition, and First Prize and Audience Choice Prize winner the National Vocal Competition presented by the Young Patronesses of the Opera and Florida Grand Opera, American mezzo-soprano ALICE CHUNG is rapidly being recognized for her "operatic tonal glamour" (Parterre).
This season, Ms. Chung will be covering Dame Quickly (Falstaff) with Opera San Jose and making her company debut at Arizona Opera as Dritte Dame in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. She will then be heading back to San Francisco Opera to cover the role of Suzuki in the Madama Butterfly.
"soaring with impressive power"
- KC Metropolis
As a 2017 and 2019 alumnus of the prestigious Merola Opera Program, Ms. Chung has garnered acclaim with the San Francisco audience through her excerpted portrayals of Azucena (Il trovatore), Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), Augusta Tabor (The Ballad of Baby Doe), and Gertrude (Hamlet). Since then, Ms. Chung has returned to San Francisco, making her Schwabacher Debut Recital in 2020, covering the role of Granny Jia in Dream of the Red Chamber, and will be presenting her postponed Shoshana Foundation recital entitled Illustrations in early January 2023.
" 'Hamlet'... had a formidable advocate in... mezzo-soprano Alice Chung, whose ringing, magisterial performance as Gertrude...lent Thomas’ limp score a soaring grandeur..."
- San Francisco Chronicle
Ms. Chung has also sung with Tulsa Opera, Central City Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Hawaii Opera Theatre. On the concert stage, Ms. Chung has sung with the Kansas City Symphony, Ocean City Pops, and Bucks County Symphony. Most recently, Ms. Chung has performed Mahler's Kindertotentlieder with Protestra. Several role credits include, Maddalena (Rigoletto), La zia Principessa (Suor Angelica), Ježibaba (Rusalka), Mrs. Grose (The Turn of the Screw), Die Hexe (Hänsel und Gretel), Larina (Eugene Onegin), Eduige (Rodelinda), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), Mama McCourt (The Ballad of Baby Doe), Dritte Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Cecilia March (Little Women), and Mariana (Luisa Fernanda).
"Hers is a gleaming, formidable, take-no-prisoners...mezzo.
...Chung deploys it with real panache and theatrical flair "
- Parterre
A lover of collaboration and chamber music, Ms. Chung has worked with several contemporary composers, premiering new works at the Primavera Festival and Composer Concerts at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
She has also collaborated with Opera Santa Barbara in recital and curated non-profit concerts for her community.
During her time as a fellow with the Music Academy of the West, s a part of the x2 chamber music concerts, Ms. Chung had the opportunity to present Three songs for voice, viola, and piano by Frank Bridge with fellow Jay Julio at the viola and the one and only John Churchwell at the piano.
During her time offstage, Ms. Chung works with several nonprofit organizations in the industry.
One nonprofit is The OmniARTS Foundation Inc., a non-profit dedicated to the cultivation of interdisciplinary art through new work commissions, arts education, and performance events. As a response to the surge of xenophobia, Ms. Chung also co-founded Wear Yellow Proudly, an arts and advocacy initiative devoted to bringing awareness to
Asian culture by showcasing and celebrating Asian art and artists worldwide.
Ms. Chung has been an honored recipient of numerous grants as well as a winner of various competitions.
In 2021, she was a winner of the William Matheus Sullivan Foundation Award, First Place winner of the Cooper-Bing Competition, Third Place in the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition, and District Winner and Regional Encouragement Winner in the Metropolitan National Council Auditions. In 2020, Ms. Chung was awarded the Richard F. Gold Career Grant by the Shoshana Foundation. She has also won awards through the Gerda Lissner Lieder/Song Competition, Orpheus Vocal Competition, Pasadena Opera Guild, Chautauqua Opera Guild, and the Metropolitan National Council Auditions (Winner-Kansas City District 2017; Second Prize-Midwest Regionals 2018).