Since Beethoven was extolled for suffering for his art, we have equated artistic greatness with deep neurosis.
This false myth has created a deeply unhappy industry which is self-absorbed, totally caught up in the trap of its own anxieties and frailties. How can artists contribute meaningfully to the world when they are so fixated on their own suffering?
For me, it has come down to understanding a crucial difference between two paths – one of pretending (what we call acting) and the other of becoming. In the world of the stage and of film, that could be described as the difference between a traditional actor and a method actor. The leading man or woman remain themselves, but wear the mask of the character they play, which they put down afterwards, always remaining largely distinct from it. The method or character actor however becomes the part, seeking the key to the essence of that persona, and having found it, then inhabits that being. It is a chameleon's existence, endlessly becoming something else, and while it is the rarer and greater art, it is fraught with risk.
Maria Callas, the great Greek opera star, was a casualty of that kind of artistry, who sacrificed her life on the altar of art for the benefit of her audiences. Night after night, she was slandered, abandoned, violated or murdered on stage, while audiences watched in amazement, moved to tears by her self-sacrifice. She became her characters, and took on all their suffering, their heart's torments. Her singing was exceptional but it was this suicidal instinct to embody completely her character's pain with a total lack of self-protection that astonished audiences, causing them to become utterly devoted to her. It made her the most famous opera diva of all time.
Callas's friend John Ardoin described her thus: "There are times when certain people are blessed, and cursed, with an extraordinary gift, in which the gift is almost greater than the human being. It was as if her own wishes, her life, her own happiness were all subservient to this incredible, incredible gift that she was given to go so deep into the heart of the characters she inhabited. She had a tremendous effect on audiences but it was not something she could always live with gracefully or happily… She couldn't really explain what she did or why."
She was simply compelled to do it. She felt she had no choice. By offering up cathartic release to her audiences, Callas liberated them from their suffering but at her own expense. They loved her for it, but cruelly she could not find love herself. She remains a cautionary Greek mythic figure, warning us, to keep one last crucial distance between the role and the artist.
Sumi Jo, who grew up surrounded by Maria Callas, will sing many of Callas' most famous arias in year's Voices in the Forest concert, and says her affinity with the singer was pre-destined before her birth.
"When my mother was expecting me, she listened to Callas 24 hours a day, so Callas was part of my life before I was even born," she says.
"For me, she is an icon but in her private life she had difficult, miserable times and died a very lonely and isolated woman in Paris.
"Knowing those facts teaches you that a prima donna's life can be fascinating, beautiful and glamorous, but you have to realise that you are not just a prima donna but also a woman who has to live a normal and healthy life. You need to show your weaknesses to your friends and family, to live your life simply, and to appreciate the little things. People are constantly watching you but somehow you have to let that concern go. You can't live like a diva all the time".
Sumi Jo is a singer with extraordinary range. She can inhabit any genre and transform it into a pure form of expression. It is singing on the level that Mozart wrote music, that Shakespeare wrote plays, that Einstein created his theories. I have often watched her in a state of wonder, watching her set new heights in such an effortless manner, that I can only describe as a state of grace.
However, even more admirable than her singing are her choices as an artist and a human being. In the context of prima donnas throughout history, she has chosen the wiser path – that of being Sumi Jo and not losing herself in the abyss that swallowed Callas, which is not to say she chose an egocentric existence. She has created a career notably free of neurosis: an artistry that is not based on personal suffering, but primarily on service above self.
"Empathy is fundamental to being an artist - That sensation of understanding the pain of people and having the interest to help them. Having sympathy for all living things," she says.
"I think I was born with it, this feeling for others, this sensibility. I also truly understand that there are people in the world (for whom) music can only ever be a luxury – that they need to eat first, they need to find a home first. I understand that so perfectly."
She travels as a UNESCO Artist for Peace, performs charity concerts and collects money from industry, leading figures and the general public, and she says all of it is used to build schools in Africa and Asia.
"In our lives the most important thing is an education. So many young kids can't go to school – they don't even have the chance to learn how to read. I truly feel the necessity to help them by giving these charity concerts," she says.
"Everywhere I go, I try to give a beautiful concert, but also to learn from the country where I am performing in order to increase the power of my own energy to contribute in some humane way. Not just singing beautifully but also doing things in the world that create positive change."
Sumi Jo travels on a diplomatic passport because she is a cultural ambassador for Korea, holding the same status as an Ambassador. She believes "that music can be a powerful weapon for peace. What I have tried to do from the beginning is to serve my society and the world with my music."
"I believe in what I do. It makes me strong and it gives me a sense of meaning in my life. I never wanted to just be a beautiful prima donna with beautiful dresses and jewels who is admired - that would be too small a life for me," she says.
"The prima donna that I want to be, transmits her thoughts and feelings so there is no barrier, so that the music goes straight into the hearts of the audience, but as soon as I take off my beautiful dress, then I work with people and find ways to give help in a practical way. I want to join in working with them - a prima donna in jeans."
When Sumi first sang at Voices in 2012, she said that "everyone thinks I am just a dumb soprano, but just watch me".
Watching her example caused me, for one, to change the direction of my life, to place my artistry in the service of diplomacy and peace. I still believe in Dostoevsky's quote that beauty will somehow save the world. I know that Sumi's voice is a shimmering pearl that connects us to a finer possibility, creating a more loving appreciation of all that surrounds us. It's just a surprise to watch someone change the world, in such pragmatic and observable ways, simply by singing.
Chris Latham is a Canberra musician and festival director.
Sumi Jo appears at Voices in the Forest, Llewellyn Hall, 6.30-9.30pm, November 19, 2016.