The artist
In focus.
Freelancer: Latvian National Opera, Korea National Opera, Theater Magdeburg, Theater Hagen, Landestheater Niederbayern, Staatstheater Cottbus, Opera på Skäret
Recent seasons have brought him to leading opera houses and festivals across Europe and Asia in roles including Calaf, Radamès, Don Carlo, Dick Johnson, Des Grieux and Paul.In the 2025/26 season, Lee appears as Pinkerton in *Madama Butterfly* at the Staatstheater Cottbus and as Calaf in *Turandot* at the Landestheater Niederbayern. On the concert stage, he performs the tenor solo in Verdi’s *Messa da Requiem* with the Würzburg Oratorio Choir. In summer 2025, he returned to Opera på Skäret in Sweden as Calaf in a new production of *Turandot*.
During the 2024/25 season, Lee appeared as Calaf in *Turandot* at Theater Magdeburg and at the Macedonian National Theater in Skopje, where he also sang Radamès in *Aida*. Further engagements included Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Auerbach.
Recent highlights include his debut as Dick Johnson in *La fanciulla del West* at Theater Hagen, a role he subsequently reprized at Opera Hedeland in Denmark, and his role debut as Des Grieux in *Manon Lescaut* at the Saaremaa Opera Festival in Estonia. As Calaf, he has appeared with the Sofia Opera and Ballet and at the Belogradchik Opera Festival, the Daegu International Opera Festival, Latvian National Opera in Riga and State Opera Stara Zagora.
In the 2023/24 season, Lee sang the title role in the Italian five-act version of Verdi's *Don Carlo* at Latvian National Opera, conducted by Frédéric Chaslin and directed by Claus Guth. At the same house, he also appeared as Radamès in *Aida* and Calaf in *Turandot*. In May 2024, he made his role debut as Paul in Korngold’s *Die tote Stadt* with Korea National Opera at the Seoul Arts Center under the musical direction of Lothar Koenigs. His concert engagements that season also included Puccini's *Messa di Gloria* in Schweinfurt.
A central role in Lee's repertoire is Radamès in *Aida*, which he has performed at the National Theater in Prague, Cairo Opera House, the Luxor Festival at the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, the Opera Festival St. Margarethen, the Schwerin Castle Festival and Oper Dortmund. He also appeared in the role in Franco Zeffirelli's production for the State Opera of Georgia.
His repertoire further includes Don José (*Carmen*), Arrigo (*I vespri siciliani*), Manrico (*Il trovatore*), Riccardo (*Un ballo in maschera*), Cavaradossi (*Tosca*) and Samson (*Samson et Dalila*). He has performed at opera houses including Graz, Freiburg, Saarbrücken and Linz, and his appearances as Calaf have taken him to the Daegu Opera House, Seoul Arts Center, International Istanbul Opera Festival and Teatr Wielki in Łódź under Antoni Wit, where he also made his debut as Samson.
Earlier engagements at Oper Dortmund included Pinkerton in *Madama Butterfly*, Cavaradossi in *Tosca* and Télasco in Spontini’s *Fernand Cortez*.
James Lee studied voice at Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, South Korea, and at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. Between 2011 and 2013, he received prizes at several international singing competitions, including First Prize at the International Singing Competition “Masters of Lyrical Art – Valentin Teodorian” in Bucharest, as well as First Prize and the Special Prize at the Competizione dell’Opera in Linz.
His repertoire further includes Don José (*Carmen*), Arrigo (*I vespri siciliani*), Manrico (*Il trovatore*), Riccardo (*Un ballo in maschera*), Cavaradossi (*Tosca*) and Samson (*Samson et Dalila*). He has performed at opera houses including Graz, Freiburg, Saarbrücken and Linz, and his appearances as Calaf have taken him to the Daegu Opera House, Seoul Arts Center, International Istanbul Opera Festival and Teatr Wielki in Łódź under Antoni Wit, where he also made his debut as Samson.
Earlier engagements at Oper Dortmund included Pinkerton in *Madama Butterfly*, Cavaradossi in *Tosca* and Télasco in Spontini’s *Fernand Cortez*.
James Lee studied voice at Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan, South Korea, and at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf. Between 2011 and 2013, he received prizes at several international singing competitions, including First Prize at the International Singing Competition “Masters of Lyrical Art – Valentin Teodorian” in Bucharest, as well as First Prize and the Special Prize at the Competizione dell’Opera in Linz.
On stage