April 8, 2021 — Asia Society Northern California honors the first woman music director of a major American opera company, Eun Sun Kim, at the 2021 Asia Game Changer West Awards. A native of Seoul, South Korea, Kim will join the San Francisco Opera as its fourth music director and the first woman music director in the company's history on August 1, 2021. In his introductory remarks, San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock talked about how the arts can build understanding, compassion, and empathy, especially in light of the recent racism faced by the Asian community in the Bay Area. In her acceptance speech, Kim described the warm welcome given to her by the city of San Francisco and the uncommon level of collaboration exhibited by the San Francisco Opera. (5 min., 19 sec.)