Josephine Lee

Korean-born soprano Dr. Josephine YoonGeong Lee, praised by The New York Times for singing “with suave clarity,” is a versatile soloist, recitalist, and educator. As a tenure-track member of the Regular Chorus of San Francisco Opera and a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (San Francisco District), she has been frequently invited to perform throughout the Bay Area as a soprano soloist.

She has appeared as a soprano soloist in major works including Orff’s Carmina Burana, Mendelssohn’s St. Paul, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Brahms’s Requiem, Poulenc’s Gloria, and Handel’s Messiah. She has been featured with leading ensembles in both the United States and South Korea, including San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra (BCCO), Stanford Symphony Orchestra, Korea National Opera Orchestra, Korea Coop Orchestra, and Gangneung Philharmonic Orchestra. Her performances have taken place at major venues such as San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall and Herbst Theatre, Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall, UC Berkeley’s Hertz Hall, and Seoul Arts Center Opera House. A devoted admirer of J.S. Bach, she has frequently performed his cantatas with the Cincinnati Bach Ensemble under the tutelage of Dr. Carlton Monroe.

Dr. Lee was a Soprano Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center for two consecutive years (2011–2012), where she received the Grace B. Jackson Prize. She was also a Professional Stern Fellow at SongFest and was invited to the Montecito International Music Festival as a guest artist.

She has received numerous awards, including being a two-time winner of the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra Vocal Competition, third prize in the 26th National Opera Association Vocal Competition in Artist Division, and the Italo Tajo Memorial Award at the CCM Opera Competition.

As a passionate recitalist, she curates and coordinates her own recital programs and has a particular affinity for Korean art song. In Korea, Dr. Lee founded Ensemble Lyrique in 2019, an ensemble dedicated to performing Korean art songs in collaboration with composer Mirae Hwang. Her voice is also widely recognized through her recordings of the “Opening Theme” and “Mishil Theme” for the soundtrack of the Korean historical drama Queen Seondeok.

During the 2026–2027 season, she covered the role of Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly) with Pocket Opera in a production adapted from Pacific Opera Project’s bilingual Japanese–English translation. She will perform excerpts in Japanese at the Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival and the San Jose Nikkei Matsuri Festival with Japanese mezzo-soprano Akane Ota. She is also the founder of Duo Soriga, a collaboration with gayageum player Hwayoung Shon, through which she performs a wide range of Korean art songs—from traditional to newly composed works—with gayageum accompaniment. She will present and perform newly commissioned Korean art songs at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Lee has taught at Seoul National University, Kookmin University, Kyung Hee University, Sejong University, and Kangnam University, as well as at arts high schools including Seoul Arts High School.

She graduated summa cum laude from Seoul Arts High School and Seoul National University. She holds both Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Voice from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

For upcoming performances and more information, please visit https://www.josephineleesoprano.com