South Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee is internationally recognized as one of today’s leading interpreters of the lirico‑spinto repertoire, acclaimed for his dramatic authority and vocal brilliance in the Italian and French repertoire. His artistry combines a powerful spinto core with expressive musicality, making him a sought-after presence on the world’s great opera stages.
Lee studied at Seoul National University and the Mannes School of Music, and made his international debut in the title role of Don Carlo at the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile. He soon established himself on major European and American stages, building a repertoire spanning Verdi, Puccini, Mascagni, Bizet, Bellini, Catalani, and Saint‑Saëns.
Operatic highlights of his career include Otello (Otello), Turandot (Calaf), Il trovatore (Manrico), Aida (Radamès), Andrea Chénier (Andrea), Don Carlos (Don Carlos), Tosca (Cavaradossi), La forza del destino (Don Alvaro), Carmen (Don José), Pagliacci (Canio), Cavalleria rusticana (Turiddu), La fanciulla del West (Dick Johnson), Il tabarro (Luigi), Norma (Pollione), Samson et Dalila (Samson), and La battaglia di Legnano (Arrigo).
He appears regularly on the stages of the world’s foremost opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Bayerische Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Dutch National Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Opera Australia, Washington National Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Arena di Verona, Greek National Opera, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Opéra national de Lyon, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Teatro Municipal de Santiago, and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía. He has worked with many of the world’s foremost conductors, including Gianluigi Gelmetti, Daniel Oren, Marc Albrecht, Nello Santi, Marco Armiliato, and Yannick Nézet‑Séguin.
In the 2025–26 season, Mr. Lee makes his debut with Teatro Colón as Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana and returns to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Calaf in Turandot.
2025-2026
