Dr. Helen Sohyun Park
Lecturer
Dr. Helen Sohyun Park (朴昭炫), currently serving as Lecturer at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, is an accomplished opera director and educator. As a native of Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Park holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Seoul National University and both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Opera Directing from The University of Texas at Austin, where she studied under distinguished mentors including Dr. Robert DeSimone, Dr. Chía Pati?o, and Garnett Bruce.
Dr. Park has established herself as a dynamic force in opera production, with recent credits including her 2022 directorial debut with Seoul Metropolitan Opera Company's Faust at Sejong Art Center and the 2023 production of Missy Mazzoli's Proving Up. Her innovative work extends to China, where she directed the entire production of La bohème and also, the La bohème Gala Concert for Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou in 2025. During her DMA studies at UT Austin, she directed full productions of Carmen, Shakespeare Gala, and Song Reimagined at McCullough Theatre while serving as the first Korean Teaching Assistant at Butler Opera Center (2022-2023). Demonstrating remarkable adaptability during the pandemic, Dr. Park successfully directed video excerpts of Princess Ida for Gilbert & Sullivan (Austin).
Her extensive directing portfolio includes La Traviata and La bohème with orchestra in Seoul (2019), contemporary operaThe Women at UT Austin (2019), and assistant directing for Metropolitan Opera's Sarah Meyers onRigoletto in Seoul. Earlier career highlights include productions ofL'elisir d'amore andLa bohème for Opera for Youth (2016) andLa bohème for Seoul National University's Opera Institute (2016).
As a Directing Fellow at Opera Saratoga (2022-2023), Dr. Park directed a Gala Concert and Family Show featuring Così fan tutte and Guys and Dolls, while assisting productions of Così fan tutte, Don Pasquale, and The Selfish Giant. Her tenure as a Directing Fellow at the Chicago Summer Opera (2020-2021) saw her direct over twenty opera scenes and assist in full productions of Alcina and H?nsel und Gretel. From 2014-2016, she served as Resident Assistant Director at Seoul Metropolitan Opera, contributing to more than twenty-five productions, including Die Zauberfl?te, Tosca, La forza di Destino, Der Freischütz, Gianni Schicchi, Don Carlo, Falstaff, Tosca, Carmen, La traviata, Les Conte d'Hoffmann, Orfeo ed Euridice, Rigoletto, Le nozze di Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Pagliacci, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Aida, The Turn of the Screw, Curlew River, etc.
Currently at the School of Music, CUHK-Shenzhen, Dr. Park teaches four core courses in the Opera & Voice Division: Opera Workshop, Advanced Opera Workshop, Acting and Movement for Singers, and Concert Performance Training. She actively produces Opera Gala Concerts and Opera Scenes Performances, continuing to bridge academic training with professional practice while shaping the next generation of opera artists.
