Everyone, without exception, raved about the Korean soprano Sumi Jo—“the voice from above”—when she debuted in Manila on Feb. 1.

But performing arias is only one side of the angel. The day after the  concert, she showed another side of her person—as mentor and morale-booster—to a bunch of young aspiring classical singers during a two-hour master class at  St. Scholastica’s College in Manila.

For those of us who had never heard her sing, and had no pre-conceived notions of who she was or what she had achieved, she came across that day as someone very caring and sincere, almost motherly. Absolutely no airs.

So it seems very ironic that young tenor Nomher Narito Nival, 27, described the angel as “down-to-earth.”

Stephanie Anne Aguilar, who at 25 has been singing for only five years, was coached by Jo in singing “Ah! Je Ris de Me Voir,” better known as the “Jewel Song” by Charles Gounod from “Faust.”

“The experience was very surreal,” said Aguilar.  “She was just someone that I checked out on YouTube whenever I needed to listen to a recording of a song I was learning. I still can’t get over the fact that my friends and I had a master class with her. It truly was a dream come true.”

Jo next mentored Jade Riccio, 24, who has been singing for six years, in performing “Regnava Nel Silenzio” from the opera “Lucia di Lammermoor” by Gaetano Donizetti.

After singing the song  (when Magueritte is admiring herself in the mirror, wearing jewels from Faust), the soprano, according to Riccio, clapped and said, “Brava!”

“She said the aria was perfect for my voice,” the student said. “It was as if the song was written for me and that I should sing more songs like it … songs for the leggiera voice.”

Beautiful nightingale

Before that, when Riccio was just starting to do her aria, Sumi Jo  held her hand and told the class: “She has the most beautiful voice, beautiful nightingale.”

“I felt like I was just dreaming,” Riccio said, “and someone should poke me so I could wake up. I would never have imagined her saying those things to me. It was very touching, and coming from a person I look up to and admire, I felt encouraged.”

Also considering herself richly blessed for meeting Jo was Myramae Meneses, at 21 the youngest of the students. She was coached by the Korean soprano on  “Caro Nome” from “Rigoletto” by Giuseppe Verdi).

“Ms Sumi Jo’s master class was a big challenge for me,” Meneses said. “I pushed myself to have the guts to sing in front of a diva.”

She said she had difficulty absorbing the instructions from  the Korean diva as she was “starstruck.”

But at one point, Jo showed her exasperation at Meneses.

“I was trying out a phrase and I was almost getting it,” the student said, “then suddenly I stopped supporting my breath to confirm if I was doing the right thing. It was funny but she also got frustrated because she said I was almost there.”

But Jo praised Meneses.

“She’s 21 years old,” she  told the class. “I’m impressed, really. You are a natural. I think you should really continue studying singing.”

Vocal problems

Sumi Jo  was both severe and encouraging.

“She was very frank in telling us if she liked our singing or vocal technique,” said Nival. “And that is very helpful for singers like us who want to perform some day in international opera houses abroad.”

“She was very keen in seeing our bad singing habits and addressed our vocal problems,” added the aspiring tenor. “Even though she is called a diva, she seemed very down-to-earth in teaching us as much as we enjoyed singing for her.”

Jo’s verdict on our young opera singers? “They’re very talented! I’m so impressed.”

At the end of their  sessions, Jo hugged each of them. Aside from hugging Nival, she also kissed him, to the laughter of everyone.