Hye Jung Lee
In the season of 2017-2018, Hye Jung Lee will be returning to San Francisco Opera stage as Ah Sing in the world premiere of Girls of the Golden West by American composer John Adams. Her 2016-2017 opera engagements have included Königin der Nacht from Die Zauberflöte with Saarländisches Staatstheater, Saarbrücken and Gilda from Rigoletto at Theater Kiel.
In 2015-2016 season, she joined the ensemble member of Theater Kiel in Germany and she sang Königin der Nacht from Die Zauberflöte, Susanna from Le Nozze Figaro, Ortlinde from Walküre, Amor from Orphée et Eurydice, and Woglinde from Das Rheingold. She has appeared as Madame Mao from Nixon in China with New Zealand Opera after her successful role debut in 2012.
In 2014-2015 season, Lee made her Dayton Opera debut as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, concert debuts with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Kiel, and Tucson Chamber Artists Chorus and Orchestra for Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.
In 2013-2014 season, she made her house and role debut as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos with Theater Kiel under the baton of Georg Fritzsch.
Hye Jung Lee’s 2012-2013 season included her house and role debut as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte, and Lisa in La Sonnambula with Florida Grand Opera, directed by Renata Scotto. She made her role debut as Olympia from Laurent Pelly’s new production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann with San Francisco Opera under the baton of Patrick Fournillier.
During the 2011-2012 season, she made a “show-stopping” debut with San Francisco Opera, as Madame Mao in Michael Cavanagh’ production of Nixon in China led by Lawrence Renes.
A graduate of Indiana University, her roles include Adele in Die Fledermaus, conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, conducted by David Effron. She was a member of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Young Artist Program, where she performed as Giannetta from L’Elisir d’Amore, conducted by Martin Kats.
As a concert artist, Ms. Lee made her debut at Issac Stern Auditorium in Carnegie Hall as a soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor in 2009 with St. Cecilia Orchestra and Chorus. The following year, she returned to Carnegie Hall, singing as a soloist in Bach’s Weihnachts Oratorio. She has been praised by New York Times, “the most striking singer was Hye Jung Lee, the soprano. Her sound was sweet and focused, but its soubrette quality was deceptive: when she needed to project over the orchestra, Ms. Lee summoned considerable power.”
Hye Jung Lee has won numerous awards and competition including DAAD scholarships in 2006 and Career Bridge Grants in 2010. During the summer of 2011, she represented Korea for BBC Cardiff singer of the World and she was the one of the finalists in Cardiff, Wales. She is a third prize winner of the Maria Callas International Music Competition in Athene, Greece. She is a prize winner of the ARD International Music Competition, Shizuoka International Opera Competition, and The YPO/Florida Grand Opera National Voice Competition. She was the regional finalist of Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2010 and 2011. In 2013, she was the National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
Ms. Lee received her bachelor’s of music in vocal performance from Seoul National University and continued with graduate studies at Dresden Musik Hochshule and Mannes College of Music. She holds an artist diploma from Indiana University. She was a member of the prestigious Merola Opera Program of San Francisco Opera Center and Steans Music Institute of Ravinia Festival. She was a young artist of Florida Grand Opera.
