Soprano Ah Young Hong has been praised by The New York Times for her “lovely voice with round, soft low notes and a sugar-sweet top,” and The Washington Post described her voice as  “glistening and resilient.” Her concert work has included performances with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Opera Lafayette, Folger Consort, Concert Artists of Baltimore, Annapolis Opera, Bay-Atlantic Symphony, Lincoln Symphony Orchestra, Magnolia Baroque Festival, and Harmonious Blacksmith among others.  In the summer of 2005 Hong made an American premiere recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s newly discovered aria, Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn’ ihn, BWV 1127, for National Public Radio’s Performance Today with harpsichordist Joseph Gascho, director of Harmonious Blacksmith, which has been broadcast throughout the world.

In the fall of 2007 Hong made her debut with Opera Lafayette (Washington, DC) in Rebel and Francoeur’s Zélindor, roi des Sylphes, which the world premiere recording was released in October 2009 under the Naxos label.  Since then she has also performed the role of La Musique in Charpentier’s Les Arts Florissants at the Kennedy Center.  With Opera Vivente (Baltimore), she has performed the title role in Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, Morgana in Handel’s Alcina, Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, Asteria in Handel's Tamburlaine, and Minerva in Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses.  The Baltimore Sun acclaimed her “a triumph as the subtly conniving Poppea. The soprano’s tonal gleam filled the hall beautifully, and her phrasing was always richly detailed. Her acting, too, proved appealing.” IONARTS described her performance as Morgana having  “the most persuasive singing by merging musical wit with strong acting and facial expressions, all while showcasing superbly clear text and vocal agility.” In England, she was Papagena in Die Zauberflöte under the direction of Benjamin Luxon, Fortuna and Minerva in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria under the musical direction of Michael Chance and director Tim Carroll for the Snape Proms and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Ms. Hong received her Bachelor's and Master's of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music where she studied with Ruth Drucker, Mark Markham, and Robert Muckenfuss.  She was honored to have studied German Lieder and French mélodie with Elly Ameling and oratorio with Kurt Equiluz at the Britten-Pears Programme in England. Hong is currently a member of the voice faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Johns Hopkins University and Towson University.

Office: CA 2107
Phone: 410-704-2839
email: ahong@towson.edu