Korean baritone Eung Kwang Lee is internationally recognized for his warm lyric voice, refined musicianship, and compelling stage presence. Praised by the Swiss newspaper Basler Zeitung as “Once you have heard his voice, it is impossible to forget it,” he has established himself as one of Korea’s leading opera singers on the international stage.

A scholarship recipient at Seoul National University, Lee completed his undergraduate and graduate studies before continuing his education at the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin, where he earned both the Diploma and the prestigious Konzertexamen (Advanced Soloist Diploma).

He is the First Prize winner of the Alexander Girardi International Singing Competition (Germany, 2006), the Riccardo Zandonai International Competition for Young Opera Singers (Italy, 2008), and the Ernst Haefliger International Vocal Competition (Switzerland, 2010). He has also been awarded prizes at numerous prestigious international competitions, including the Ferruccio Tagliavini Competition, Hilde Zadek Competition, Spiros Argiris Competition, Alfredo Giacomotti Competition, Maria Callas Grand Prix, Francisco Viñas Competition, Queen Elisabeth Competition, Leyla Gencer Competition, the International Vocal Competition (IVC) in the Netherlands, and the Seoul International Music Competition.

From 2008 to 2015, Lee was a principal ensemble member of Theater Basel in Switzerland, where he performed leading roles in numerous major opera productions. His repertoire at Theater Basel included Figaro in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, Renato in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, Eugene Onegin in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Count Tomsky in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades (Pique Dame), Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, and Gorjanchikov in Janáček’s From the House of the Dead.

During his tenure, Theater Basel was recognized as one of Europe’s leading opera houses and was named “Opera House of the Year (Opernhaus des Jahres)” by the German opera magazine Opernwelt for two consecutive seasons.

His international career has taken him to many renowned opera houses and concert venues, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Konzerthaus Berlin, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne, Saarländisches Staatstheater, Theater Bern, Luzerner Theater, BOZAR in Brussels, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, and Oper Graz.

He also participated in Theater Basel’s acclaimed Japan tour, performing at the Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater in Nagoya, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Aubade Hall in Toyama, and Biwako Hall, and has appeared in productions with the Korea National Opera and the Seoul Arts Center Opera productions.

Throughout his career, Lee has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Maurizio Barbacini, Gabriel Feltz, Andrea Marcon, Erik Nielsen, Mario Venzago, and Carlo Rizzi, as well as renowned stage directors such as Calixto Bieito, Nicolas Brieger, Vera Nemirova, David Hermann, and Helmut Lohner.

Since 2023, Lee has served as a jury member of the Riccardo Zandonai International Competition for Young Opera Singers. In recognition of his artistic achievements and his longstanding relationship with the competition, the Eung Kwang Lee Prize was established in 2023, becoming the first special prize in the competition’s history to bear the name of an Asian artist.

From 2023 to 2026, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Icheon Cultural Foundation in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. He currently continues an active international career as a baritone, artistic producer, and cultural leader, performing and creating projects throughout Europe, the United States, and Korea.