The Royal College of Music (RCM) in London has announced American mezzo-soprano Anastasia Koorn and South Korean soprano Henna Mun as the 2023 recipients of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation-Community Jameel Scholarship. Anastasia will pursue a Master of Music degree in vocal performance, and Henna an Artist Diploma in opera. The RCM is the global top institution for performing arts (QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023).
An alumna of the University of Michigan, Anastasia earned a dual degree in vocal performance and choral music education and studied under critically acclaimed soprano Dr Louise Toppin. She has previously performed in several productions, including as Cherubino in Mozart’s ‘Le nozze di Figaro’; Bradamante in Handel’s ‘Alcina’ at the Saluzzo Opera Academy in Italy; and Iolanthe in Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Iolanthe’. She has also performed twice at Carnegie Hall as part of the Honours Performance Series, in the Honours Women’s Choir at the Sydney Opera House, and most recently made her Miami debut as Hänsel in a fully staged production of Engelbert Humperdinck's ‘Hänsel und Gretel’ at the Miami Music Festival.
Media collateral for Anastasia is available here.
Henna, who comes from South Korea, is currently studying at the international opera studio at the RCM. She has previously performed in a number of operatic roles, including Eurydice in ‘Orpheus in the Underworld’, Ilia in ‘Idomeneo’, La Principessa in ‘La bella dormente nel bosco’, Jenny Lind in ‘Barnum’s Bird’, Papagena in ‘Die Zauberflöte’ and the Dew Fairy in ‘Hänsel und Gretel’. Henna was also recently invited to perform alongside the soprano Sumi Jo in Tokyo, Japan.
Media collateral for Henna is available here.
Launched in 2019 to support students at the RCM, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation-Community Jameel Scholarship is awarded to talented musicians, chosen both on merit, assessed at audition, and their need for support to overcome barriers and access the world-class training available at the RCM. The scholarship was established by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, founded by world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Community Jameel, an international organisation advancing science and learning for communities to thrive.
Anastasia and Henna are the recipients of the fourth round of the scholarship, following French soprano Clara Barbier Serrano, Egyptian soprano Laura Mekhail and Korean soprano Seonwoo Lee, who were awarded the scholarship in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.
