Yeonji Esther Lee

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Yeonji Esther Lee
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Born
South Korea
CitizenshipSouth Korean
Occupation
  • Lyric soprano
  • Performing artist
EmployerGlobal Cyber University
Known forOpera, musical theatre, crossover performances
AwardsRandolph Mickelson Memorial NYIOP Prize

Yeonji Esther Lee (Korean: 이연지; also known professionally as 연지 리) is a South Korean-born lyric soprano and performing artist based in New York City. She has performed in opera, musical theatre, and crossover projects in the United States, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, China, and Europe. Her work has been discussed in publications including The Seattle Times, Anchorage Daily News, Opera News, Cine21, The Hankyoreh, and the Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News (UDN).[1][2][3][4][5]

Career

Opera

Lee has performed the role of Setsuko Kobayashi in Jack Perla and Jessica Murphy Moo’s contemporary opera An American Dream in multiple United States productions. In 2017, The Seattle Times reviewed the Seattle Opera production, discussing the work’s depiction of Japanese American wartime incarceration and noting the central role of Setsuko in the narrative.[6] The Anchorage Opera staging was covered by the Anchorage Daily News, which described the production’s treatment of internment-era history and identified Lee in the cast as Setsuko.[7] Local coverage of the Virginia Opera production in the United States has also mentioned her participation as Setsuko.[8]

Lee’s work in the role has additionally been discussed in regional arts media, including the Seattle Gay News, which commented on the dramatic range required of the character, and the Northwest Asian Weekly, which profiled the production’s cast and creative context.[9]

Lee has also appeared in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. In coverage of Opera Maine’s 2019 production, Opera News described her performance as Papagena within the ensemble cast,[10] and BroadwayWorld noted her casting in that role.[11]

Her other opera appearances have included roles in productions of La Traviata, The Barber of Seville, and Don Giovanni. In 2024, she appeared in a production of Don Giovanni at the Seoul Arts Center during the 16th Korea Opera Festival.[12]

Musical theatre and concerts

In South Korea, Lee has been cast in musical theatre productions including the Korean premiere of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. National entertainment and culture outlets reported her casting as Mary (Marie), describing her as a New York–based soprano appearing on the Korean musical stage.[13][14]

In 2022, she appeared at the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival in a special gala program featuring film music by Justin Hurwitz. Cine21 and The Hankyoreh reported on the concert, which included vocal performances by musical-theatre and crossover singers alongside an orchestral program of scores from La La Land, Whiplash, and other works.[15]

Crossover and interdisciplinary work

Lee has participated in interdisciplinary art projects such as Lee Mingwei’s vocal performance installation Sonic Blossom. The work has been presented at cultural institutions including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where classically trained singers perform Schubert lieder for individual visitors as part of the installation.[16][17]

In 2024, Lee was featured as a guest vocalist in Mandopop singer Sam Lee’s concert programming and related media coverage. Taiwanese outlets including UDN and Yahoo! Taiwan reported that she joined the tour to perform Lee’s song “FACE” in an operatic style during arena-format concerts in Taipei and other cities.[18][19]

International performances

Lee’s performance history includes appearances in large-scale venues such as Wuhan Stadium and Arena of Stars at Genting Highlands, as well as scheduled performances at Taipei Arena and Axiata Arena as part of international concert tours reported in Taiwanese entertainment media.[20]

Media coverage

In 2022, the Korean-language magazine Weekly People published a feature-length profile of Lee, describing her work in opera and crossover performance and summarizing her appearances in South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, and the United States.[21]

Lee has also been mentioned in coverage of cultural events and collaborative projects in Korean- and English-language media, including articles on Korean heritage programming at Seattle Opera and reports on Korea Day and Korea Night events co-hosted with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle.[22][23]

Teaching

Lee has taught classical and contemporary vocal performance at Global Cyber University in South Korea, where she has been associated with the Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment.[24]

Awards

  • Randolph Mickelson Memorial NYIOP Prize, NYIOP / Premiere Opera Foundation International Competition.
  • Influ

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, Melissa (2017-09-08). "'An American Dream' tells powerful story in historic setting". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  2. ↑ Roshak, Colin (2019-02-14). "Anchorage Opera's 'An American Dream' explores dark chapter in U.S. history with story of Japanese internment". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  3. ↑ "Opera Maine Presents A New Production Of THE MAGIC FLUTE". BroadwayWorld. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  4. ↑ "활주로에 내려앉은 '라라랜드'…제천의 밤이 빛났다". Cine21 / The Hankyoreh (in 한국어). 2022.
  5. ↑ "李聖傑邀紐約來的女高音Yeonji Esther Lee一起合唱". 聯合報 (UDN). 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  6. ↑ Brooks, Melissa (2017-09-08). "'An American Dream' tells powerful story in historic setting". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  7. ↑ Roshak, Colin (2019-02-14). "Anchorage Opera's 'An American Dream' explores dark chapter in U.S. history with story of Japanese internment". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  8. ↑ Maisey, Jeff (2019-03-29). "Dream Turned Shameful Nightmare Retold by Virginia Opera". VEER Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  9. ↑ Hamlin, Andrew (2017-09-12). "From Korea and China to 'An American Dream'". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  10. ↑ "Opera News reviews The Magic Flute". Opera Maine. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  11. ↑ "Opera Maine Presents A New Production Of THE MAGIC FLUTE". BroadwayWorld. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  12. ↑ "제16회 대한민국오페라페스티벌, 베세토오페라단, '돈 조반니'...선과 악의 모호성". 한국뉴스투데이 (in 한국어). 2024. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  13. ↑ "9월 초연 <그레이트 코멧>에 홍광호·케이윌 더블 캐스팅". 더뮤지컬 (in 한국어). 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  14. ↑ "톨스토이 걸작 소설이 무대로…뮤지컬 '그레이트 코멧' 9월 개막". 연합뉴스 (in 한국어). 2020-07-13. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  15. ↑ "활주로에 내려앉은 '라라랜드'…제천의 밤이 빛났다". Cine21 / The Hankyoreh (in 한국어). 2022.
  16. ↑ "Lee Mingwei: Sonic Blossom – Centre Pompidou". Centre Pompidou. 2018-10-10. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  17. ↑ "Lee Mingwei: Sonic Blossom – Metropolitan Museum of Art". Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2015. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  18. ↑ "李聖傑邀紐約來的女高音Yeonji Esther Lee一起合唱". 聯合報 (UDN). 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  19. ↑ "李聖傑《痴心絕對》唱1萬次 全新改版震撼萬人". Yahoo! Taiwan. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  20. ↑ "李聖傑《痴心絕對》唱1萬次 全新改版震撼萬人". Yahoo! Taiwan. 2024-07-01. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  21. ↑ "뮤지컬 배우 연지 리, 경계를 초월해 소통하는 무대 '치유의 예술'로 승화하다". Weekly People Magazine (in 한국어). 2022.
  22. ↑ "시애틀오페라 올해 '코리안 데이'도 멋지고 품격 넘쳐(+영상,화보)". 시애틀N (in 한국어). 2023. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  23. ↑ "시애틀 오페라, 특별 '코리아 나이트' 행사". 조이시애틀 (in 한국어). 2023. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  24. ↑ "뮤지컬 배우 연지 리, 제30회 대한민국문화연예대상 인플루언서홍보대사 위촉". JOBPOST (in 한국어). 2022.

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