Lyric Soprano Yunah Lee is thrilling audiences in the U.S., Europe and Asia with her “handsomely colored full lyric sound” (OPERA NEWS) and “picture perfect” acting (BERKSHIRE FINE ARTS). Recent performances in the title role of Madama Butterfly were hailed in Germany as “a revelation… [her] voice unites the girlish innocence and the wistful sensuality [of Cio Cio San]” (ONLINE MUSIK MAGAZIN). “...thoroughly captivating, above all thanks to Yunah Lee, who is utterly convincing in mood and presentation… a commanding and touching performance revealing the highs and lows of Butterfly’s emotions.” (DAS OPERNGLAS).

In the 2010-2011 season, Yunah Lee makes company debuts with Dallas Opera, Central City Opera, Kentucky Opera and Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland, all in the title role of Madama Butterfly. The 2009-2010 season saw her return to New York City Opera in the role of Cio Cio San, followed by a company debut with De Vlaamse Opera in Belgium in the same role.

Yunah Lee made her European Opera debut in 2005 in the title role in Madama Butterfly with Stadttheater Bern in Switzerland. She immediately returned to Europe to appear in concert with Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain and then to New York City Opera as Mimi in La Bohème.  She made her debut in the role of Cio Cio San with Boheme Opera and repeated the role with Opera Roanoke, Virginia Opera, Longview Opera, Lyric Opera of San Antonio, Grand Rapids Opera, Virginia Opera, Duluth Festival, New York City Opera, Lake George Opera, Westfield Symphony, New York Asian Symphony Orchestra, De Vlaamse Opera, Staattheater Braunschweig, and Opera Ireland.

Ms. Lee made her New York City Opera debut as Micaëla in Carmen after having sung with them the United States premiere of the contemporary opera Kinkakuji and later returning to perform the roles of Mimi, Zerlina, and Dew Fairy and to cover Gretel, Antonia and Liù.  Ms. Lee toured Taiwan as Mimi, which she repeated with New York City Opera, Cleveland Opera, Boheme Opera, Opera Roanoke, Aspen Music Festival and made a company debut with the Korea National Opera in her native country in 2007.  Ms. Lee made her debut with São Paulo Opera in Carmen and Fort Worth Opera as Micaëla which she repeated with New York City Opera, El Paso Opera, Boheme Opera and Tokyo City Orchestra.  Ms. Lee's other performances include Marguerite and Liù with Minnesota Opera, her debut in the role of Leila in Les Pêcheurs de Perles with Cleveland Opera and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Palm Beach Opera.

Ms. Lee's past performance roles include her debuts with Toledo Opera, and Nachez Opera in the role of Marguerite in Faust, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Kalamazoo Symphony, Nedda in I Pagliacci with Intermountain Opera, Zerlina and Marguerite with El Paso Opera, Adina with the Virginia Opera, Liù with Orlando Opera and the New Jersey State Opera, Mimi with the New York City Opera National Company and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Westfield Symphony and Opera on the James.  Ms. Lee's debut in the role of Juliette in Romeo et Juliette was seen with Opera Roanoke.

As an active concert singer, Ms. Lee has sung Messiah, Mozart Requiem, Haydn Creation and Bach St. Matthew Passion with the New York Oratorio Society at Carnegie Hall, and Verdi Requiem with National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall. In 2008, Ms. Lee was invited to appear as a soloist in the Great Mountain Music Festival, where she performed works of Rodrigo, Villa Lobos, Handel, Earl Kim and George Crumb. The 2005-2006 season saw Ms. Lee's debut with Hiroshima Symphony performing Mahler Symphony No. 2, in the memorial concert of the 60th year after the Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima, her solo recital in Los Angeles at USC’s Newman Hall,  KMF Virtuoso Concert at Alice Tully Hall with pianist Warren Jones and her European concert debut  with the Pablo Picasso Orchestra in Malaga, Spain.

Ms. Lee made her solo recital debut at the Carnegie Hall and Ho-Am Recital Hall in Seoul, Korea followed by a national tour in 5 cities in South Korea. Ms. Lee was also featured in the Christmas Concert with Beijing National Symphony in China and in her recital with Shanghai Symphony and Seoul Arts Center and in Concert with Tokyo City Orchestra. Ms. Lee's first recording of “Four Seasons in Korea” with I Musici was released in 2004.

Born in Daegu, Korea, Ms. Lee is a former member of Juilliard Opera Center and earned her Master's Degree at The Juilliard School and Bachelor's Degree from Hanyang University as a full scholarship student. Ms. Lee also studied at the New England Conservatory of Music. Ms. Lee received First Prize in the Mario Lanza Competition and in the Verismo Opera Competition and was a finalist at the Belvedere Competition in Vienna, Austria.