Tenor Lim Hyung-joo sings before Pope Francis in Mongolia

Home > Entertainment > Music & Performance

Tenor Lim Hyung-joo sings before Pope Francis in Mongolia

Published: 06 Sep. 2023, 15:07

LIM JEONG-WON
lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr

Korean popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo performs at the closing ceremony of a mass Pope Francis held at the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar on Sunday. [DGNCOM]

South Korean popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo has sung "Ave Maria" in front of Pope Francis during a private audience with him in Ulaanbaatar, the singer's agency said Wednesday.

According to DGNcom, Lim was granted a private audience with the pope at Bishop's House in the Mongolian capital on Monday, the last day of the first-ever papal visit to the country.

During the audience, the popera tenor presented the pope with his signed Catholic hymn album titled "The Last Confession."

Responding with a smile, the pope said, "Cantare!" in Italian, asking for a song from the singer.

Lim, a Catholic, then sang the first verse of Caccini's "Ave Maria" in a cappella. After hearing the song, Francis shook the singer's hand and thanked him for the singing, according to the agency.

Korean popera tenor Lim Hyung-joo performs at the closing ceremony of a mass Pope Francis held at the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar on Sunday. [DGNCOM]

On Sunday, Lim sang at the mass presided over by the pope at the Steppe Arena in Ulaanbaatar.

He was initially scheduled to perform at a pre-event leading up to the mass but ended up performing at the closing event after the mass at the request of the Vatican, the agency said.

He sang three songs — "Ave Maria," "You Raise Me Up" and "Panis Angelicus" — to mark the finale of the event.

"I thought performing at a mass led by the first pope to visit Mongolia was the greatest gift in my 25-year musical career. But now I believe that having an audience with him was the best moment of my life and an endless honor," he said through the agency.

YONHAP