Simon Lee

• Belcanto Opera Contest (2nd Price Winner) - 2000

Tenor Simon Kyung Lee began his musical career in his hometown of Busan, South Korea at an early age. It was upon a move to Italy that it was discovered that he had a natural affinity for the Verismo style. Under the guidance of Carlos Montané and Mtro. Ubaldo Gardini he was able to effortlessly increased his vocal power. With his Italian studies he began to take command of works by Italian greats such as Verdi and Puccini.

Mr. Lee enjoyed the culmination of that work at a recital at the first annual Festival Notte Musicali Modenesi in Italy. From there he moved to the United States where he participated in the Sherrill Milnes Opera Program, working under the guidance of Sherrill Milnes and Inci Bashar. It was under the direction of world renowned opera singers, Jennifer Larmore and Giacomo Aragall, that Mr. Lee was able to quickly advance his career to include his Carnegie Hall debut for Haydn's Paukenmesse with New England Symphony, Giles Corey in Crucible, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Calaf in Turandot, Rodolfo in La Bohème, Alfredo in La Traviata, Radames in Aida, Duca in Rigoletto, Manrico in Il Trovatore, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, 3rd Jew in Salome, Luigi in Il Tabarro, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and even a rarely heard Verdi opera the I Lombardi in his Chicago Premiere with the da Corneto Opera as Arvino.

He has appeared as leading tenor with companies in the United States and Europe as well as in Asia, include Singapore Lyric Opera, Opera New Hampshire, Vail Opera, Palm Desert Opera, the Gold & Treasure Coast Operas, Panama City Opera, Utah Festival Opera, da Corneto Opera, Chamber Opera Chicago, Chicago Festival Opera, Kansas City Puccini Festival, Opera North Carolina, Opera Tulsa, Sunstate Opera, Teatro Lirico D'Europa and World Classical Musical Society.

A two-time recipient of awards from the National Bel Canto Foundation, Mr. Lee has utilized his flair with Italian music to his advantage in scores of solo concerts and recitals around the Midwest, including a gala concert in which the musical artists of North and South Korea performed together on the same Chicago stage for the first time.

Lee's 2016-17 engagements included Radames in Aida, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Duca in Rigoletto and Don José in Carmen, Calaf in Turandot with Teatro Lirico D'Europa and numerous concerts throughout the United States.

Mr. Lee is a faculty member of Operamaya, Summer Opera Program in Mexico, also teaches at Chamber Opera Chicago Studio and Private studio in Chicago. He is currently resides in the Chicago Suburb of Woodridge, Illinois.

* BELLINI

Norma (Polione)

* BIZET

Carmen (Don Jose)

* DONIZETTI

Lucia di Lammermoor (Edgardo)

* MENOTTI

Goya (Goya)

* PUCCINI

La Boheme (Rodolfo)

Tosca (Cavaradossi)

Turandot (Calaf)

Il Tabarro (Luigi)

La Fanciulla del West (Ramerez)

Gianni Schicchi (Rinucio)

* R. STRAUSS

Salome (Jew)

* VERDI

Aida (Radames)

Il Trovatore (Manrico)

La Traviata (Alfredo)

Un Ballo in Maschera (Riccardo)

Rigoletto (Duca di Mantova)

I Lombardi (Arvino)

Nabucco (Ismaele)

Don Carlo (Don Carlo)

Macbeth (Macduff)

La forza del destino (Don Alvaro)

* WARD

Crucible (G.Corey)