I love working with him or I wouldn’t keep having him back.” He’s a lesson to many people in the company, the seriousness with which he takes his work. “His talent is vocal, his talent is musical. “Young Bok has always been a very serious artist,” said DeRenzi.

Likewise, Kim himself serves as a leader to his fellow cast members, said Victor DeRenzi, artistic director of the Sarasota Opera and conductor of this production of “Attila,” who first brought Kim to the company in 2004. His first line, his last line, he’s calling his warriors ‘hero,’ sometimes ‘friend,’ sometimes ‘trustworthy.’ He’s always calling his people, always adding an adjective before the people, even the slaves, he’s calling them ‘trustworthy,’ ‘lovable,’ ‘hero.’ The trust of the people makes him a great leader.”

“I just want to express more deeply his character. “People understand Attila as a horrible murderer and conqueror, but I want to approach this role from the more down-to-earth, more human side,” said Kim, speaking on a Zoom interview just before a recent rehearsal of the opera, which opens March 12.

More: Strong performances highlight emotional ‘Tosca’ from Sarasota Opera

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