Tenor Konstantin Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the College of Music, Seoul National University, and received his Konzertexamen at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg in Germany.
Lee has won numerous prestigious competitions, including first prizes in the Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition, the SWR Young Opera Stars Competition, the Anneliese Rothenberger Competition in Germany, and the Luis Sigall Competition in Chile. Additionally, he won third prize in the Montreal International Musical Competition and fourth prize in the Seoul International Music Competition. Lee represented South Korea at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.
Lee made his operatic debut as Alfredo in Verdi’s “La Traviata” at the Seoul Opera House. In Seoul, he also sang Nemorino in Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” and Rodolfo in Puccini’s “La Bohème.” His European debut followed in 2016, where he performed Ferrando in Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” at Theater Freiburg. From there, he went on to perform as Camille in Lehár’s “Die lustige Witwe” at the Wiener Volksoper under the baton of Alfred Eschwé. He also sang the role of Prince Sou-Chong in “Das Land des Lächelns” at Theater Solingen and performed as Camille in “Die lustige Witwe” at Teatro La Fenice in Venice under the direction of Stefano Montanari.
In the 2024/25 season, he took on the role of Cassio in Verdi’s “Otello” in a co-production between the Royal Opera House in London (Covent Garden) and the Seoul Arts Center, performed in Seoul under the direction of Carlo Rizzi. During the Festival der deutschen Sprache 2024 at the Goethe Theater in Bad Lauchstädt, he sang the role of Tamino in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte.” Furthermore, he successfully appeared as the Duca in a new production of Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at Theater Neustrelitz. Subsequently, he returned to the stage as the Prince in Prokofiev’s “Die Liebe zu drei Orangen” at Staatstheater Cottbus, continuing to captivate audiences.In addition to his opera performances, he appeared at the end of 2024 in Korea as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Handel’s “Messiah.” He also performed at a gala concert at the Seoul Arts Center. With these engagements, he continues his successful career both in Germany and Korea.
In previous seasons, Lee performed as Rodolfo in “La Bohème” at the Mecklenburgisches Staatstheater, the Duca in Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at Daegu Opera House, and the Prince in Prokofiev’s “Die Liebe zu drei Orangen” at Staatstheater Cottbus. In the 2022/23 season, he portrayed the Duca in Verdi’s “Rigoletto” at the Seoul Metropolitan Opera and Tamino in Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” at the Korean National Opera. During the 2021/22 season in Korea, he sang the roles of the Duca in Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” Alfred in Strauss’s “Die Fledermaus,” and Ottavio in Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.”
In addition to his operatic career, Lee is an in-demand concert singer. He has performed the tenor part in Mozart’s Requiem with the Korean National Choir and has toured as a soloist with Korea’s most renowned orchestras, including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung, the Korean National Orchestra, and the Korea Broadcasting System Symphony Orchestra under Yoel Levi. He has also performed with the NCPA Orchestra in Beijing, as well as with orchestras in Japan and Chile.