Jenny Kim-Godfrey

Hailed as "...a fearless and confident performer with a beautiful high voice with excellent flexibility," Korean-American coloratura soprano Jenny (Ji-Sun) Kim-Godfrey is quickly gaining notoriety for her "nightingale tone" (Virginia Zeani) and as "an invigorating stage animal and gifted recitalist... A performer ready to forget new vistas!" (Maestro Gary Thor Wedow, New York Philharmonic). Jenny has concertized throughout the United States, Canada, South Korea, and Italy.

Kim-Godfrey has been the featured soloist with numerous renowned ensembles, including the Indiana University Pro Arte Singers (Israelitish woman, Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus), the New York Summer Music Festival (Rutter’s Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana), the Catskill Choral Society (Haydn’s Grosse Mariazeller Messe), the Bloomington Early Music Festival (Bach’s Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ), the Indiana University University Chorale under the baton of Maestro Gary Thor Wedow (Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle), the South Shore Symphony (Handel's Messiah), Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (Holocaust Cantata), and made her Canada début with Gravenhurst Opera as a guest artist in their concert series in August 2015.

Kim-Godfrey has been a prizewinner in the National Vocal Competition in Seoul, Long Island Symphony Concerto Competition, and the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Competition. Kim-Godfrey was also selected as a finalist for the prestigious Georgina Joshi International Fellowship in 2012 and in 2013 was a finalist in the Joong-Ang Competition – one of the most prestigious in Korea. Most recently Jenny won the St. Petersburg Opera Idol and the Sun City Center Opera Idol competition in 2014 – the first contestant in the history of the competition to win both.

Kim-Godfrey has performed numerous operatic roles with the Indiana University Opera Theater, including Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), La Conversa (Suor Angelica), and Emmie Spashett (Albert Herring). She has also appeared with the Tanglewood Institute (Flora, The Turn of the Screw) Classical Singing in New York (Marie, La Fille du Régiment), and the Indiana University Early Music Institute (Nymphe de la Seine, Alceste). Kim-Godfrey recently performed in several concerts in Italy, including scenes from Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Amina (La Sonnambula), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Elvira (I Puritani) with the Classic Lyric Arts.

An active proponent of the arts in the Tampa Bay area, Kim-Godfrey made her company début with St. Petersburg Opera for the 2014/15 season as an Emerging Artist covering Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. She returned to the St. Petersburg Opera as a featured soloist on its "Seasonal Sparkle" Holiday Concert series and sang the title role of "Jenny Lind" with Gloria Musicae for the Florida Premiere of Libby Larsen's chamber opera Barnum's Bird in April of 2016. Summer of 2016, Jenny made her début with Florida Lyric Opera as Luigia in Donizetti'e Viva La Mamma6, was part of the world premiere performance of Tom Sivak's "Doctor Dilligaff's Baboon" (winner of the 2016 Rapid Returns Grant) and enjoyed a return engagement with the Choral Artists of Sarasota (formerly known as Gloria Musicae) as the soprano soloist for the Poulenc's Gloria in spring 2017 under the baton of Dr. Joseph Holt. Jenny was featured soloist with the Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota's La Flûte Enchantée program in spring 2017 and returned to the series twice in 2018 in concerts featuring classical guitarist Dr. Jonathan Godfrey (as part of the Classical guitar-soprano duo Corda Voce), mezzo-soprano Robyn Rocklein, and pianist Dr. Joseph Holt.

Recently, Jenny made her company début with Opera Tampa as a featured soloist in "An Evening with Gilbert & Sullivan" in the summer of 2018, and is ecstatic to be a regular performer as an Opera Tampa Singer for the 2018-2019 season. Jenny will make her regional theatre debut as Mrs. Squires in The Music Man at Asolo Repertory Theatre in November 2018. Jenny is also looking forward to returning as a featured artist (Corda Voce) with GuitarSarasota concert series in January 2019, and as the soprano soloist for the Brahm's Requiem with the Choral Artists of Sarasota in February 2019.

In addition to her work as a performer, Kim-Godfrey is one of the SunCoast's most in-demand voice teachers and is currently on the faculty at The University of Tampa as an adjunct professor of voice, and was the director of the choral program and chair of the Music Department at Manatee School For the Arts in Palmetto, Florida from 2014-2018. Jenny also serves as the Director of Operations for The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota as of August 2018.

Prior to moving back to the US, Jenny taught at Bucheon University and Sehan University in Korea as an adjunct professor in Vocal Performance and Musical Theater. Kim-Godfrey also gave a guest artist benefit recital in Paju City Hall, South Korea in 2013, for the cause of young musicians who wish to pursue their dream of becoming a musician without the means to do so. Jenny is also very passionate about animals, and fosters many needy pets while supporting animal rights causes. #AdoptDontShop!

Kim-Godfrey holds her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Mary Ann Hart and two-time Grammy Award winner and Emmy Award-Winner Sylvia McNair. Jenny also holds her minor in Choral Conducting as well as an outside field in Arts Administration from IU JSoM.