The South Korean tenor James Lee studied singing at Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, South Korea and at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf, Germany. He was a winner of numerous competitions, including the 1st Prize at the International Singing Competition Masters of Lyrical Art – Valentin Teodorian in Bucharest, and both the 1st Prize and a Special Prize at the Competizione dell'Opera in Linz.
Among his recent engagements are role debut as Dick Johnson in La fanciulla del West at Theater Hagen and performace of it at the Opera Hedeland, Denmark, Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut at te Saaremaa Opera Festival and Calaf in Turandot at the Belogradchik, Sofia Opera and Ballet in Bulgaria, the Daegu International Opera Festival, the Daegu Opera House, the Latvian National Opera in Riga, and State Opera Stara Zagora.
In the 2023/24 season, he sang the title role in the Italian five-act version of Don Carlo (under the direction of Frédéric Chaslin and Claus Guth) at the Latvian National Opera, where he also performed as Radamès in Aida and Calaf in Turandot. He also debuted as Paul in the new production of Die tote Stadt at the Korea National Opera.
Upcoming performances include the role of Calaf in Turandot at Macedonian National Theatre in Skopje, North Macedonia, and Beethoven’s 9th in Auerbach, Germany.
Lee's repertoire spans a wide range of dramatic roles, including Calaf in Turandot and Don José in Carmen, as well as roles in Verdi's operas such as Arrigo in I Vespri Siciliani, Manrico in Il Trovatore, and Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera. These roles were sung at opera houses in Graz, Freiburg, Saarbrücken, and the Landestheater Linz. Furthermore, he has portrayed Calaf in Turandot at notable venues including the Daegu Opera House, Seoul Arts Center, the International Istanbul Opera Festival, and under the baton of Maestro Antoni Wit at the Teatr Wielki w Łodzi in Poland, where he also debuted as Samson in Samson et Dalila.
One of his significant roles is Radamès in Aida, which he performed at the Prague National Theatre, the Cairo Opera House, the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at the Luxor Festival, the Opera Festival St. Margarethen, the Schwerin Castle Festival and the Dortmund Opera. Additionally, he played the same role in Franco Zeffirelli's production at the State Opera in Georgia.
During the 2019/20 season at the Dortmund Opera, Lee took on the role of Benjamin F. Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, and in the following season, he became an ensemble member, captivating audiences as Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca and Télasco in Fernand Cortez or The Conquest of Mexico.
