Her next big concert may have switched venues due to fear of rain, but for Sumi Jo, the weather is never a problem.
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Looking every bit the international opera superstar, Jo arrived in the capital on Thursday to begin rehearsals for what is now known only in name as Voices in the Forest.
The much-loved concert – which for the past four years has taken place at the National Arboretum in Canberra's outdoor amphitheatre – has been shifted this year to Llewellyn Hall due to the unpredictability of the springtime weather.
The South Korean soprano last performed at Voices in 2012, and said she had fond memories of singing under the stars.
Ironically, the weather is expected to be nudging 30 degrees on the weekend with little chance of rain, but Jo was optimistic that the Llewellyn Hall show would bring something different to the eclectic repertoire, which will include opera, operetta, musicals and even a bit of pop.
"I love it, because even people who enjoy classical music, they want to hear something different, they need to relax and have a great time," she said.
"Sometimes classical music can bring you something profound and participation is more serious, but with operatta and musicals, you can enjoy, forget everything and relax. I think it's nice."
She said with the world drenched in bad news and facing uncertain times, there was more need than ever for beauty.
"I've always thought about my job as not only about singing beautifully, but giving some positive messages like peace and reunification between religions, between people who think differently. It's very important," she said.
"For all artists, all the people who work in this business, I want them to think about what is our job, really. It's nice to perform with beautiful dresses onstage, and to bring beautiful music, obviously, that's basic, but we need to do more than that - give the beauty of humanity."
It was, she said, a lifelong mission of hers, and one that, thankfully for opera fans, showed no signs of being accomplished.
"Everywhere I go, what I feel is that we are all the same, we are the same people," she said.
"We speak differently, we have different ideas, different thoughts, but in the end, we want one thing - serenity. Peace. Music can make a contribution to that, so I feel like I'm a sort of missionary in that sense."
Sumi Jo will be performing with Australian mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell and American tenor Richard Troxell at Voices in the Forest, Saturday November 19 in Llewellyn Hall.
