JIN UK LEE
baritone

A native of Seoul, baritone JIN UK LEE graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in voice from KyungPook National University in South Korea, and is a recent recipient of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He has performed several oratorio solos throughout Korea and the United States, including the baritone solos in Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s The Creation.

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This versatile and impressive artist studied with professors InSoo Park in South Korea and, later, with Andreas Poulimenos and Carol Vaness at Indiana University.  He has performed the role of Germont in La Traviata with David Effron and Tito Capobianco.  Lee also portrayed Zurga in The Pearl Fishers, Silvio in Pagliacci and the Count in Le nozze di Figaro while a pupil of Ms. Vaness.  Additionally, he has performed the roles of Papageno in Die Zauberflöte and Tiger Brown in The Threepenny Opera, was selected for the Honor Showcase recital and received Outstanding Performance in the Honors Assembly in Ohio.  Recent notable appearances include performances at the Opera America National Opera Center in New York City, and Sol Joseph Recital Hall in San Francisco.

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Dr. Lee earned first prize in the National Artistic Vocal Competition and second prize in the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale competition.  He was later awarded the Sweet Adelines International Award from the Young Singers Foundation and was the recipient of the Albert Rees Davis Scholarship at the S. Livingston Mather Scholarship Competition in Cleveland.  In addition, he was the First Place winner of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition and was selected as a finalist in the Mario Lanza International Singing Competition in Italy.

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While completing his doctorate, Lee received the Merit Award Scholarship and was Opera Assistant for Lyric Theatre at the University of Illinois.  Performances in Illinois include Ford in Falstaff, Street Singer in The Threepenny Opera, and Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas.  He also sang performances of Inspired Korea, organized by The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago, and nationwide in such cities as Detroit, Des Moines, Kansas City, St. Charles (IL), Oak Park (IL), Columbus, and St. Louis.

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In addition to his active schedule as a professional baritone soloist, Dr. Lee is is director of Master of Arts in Worship Korean Track at Northern Seminary Chicago, and directs four different Choirs in the Chicago metro area.