Arizona Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Cockrell, conductor
Mahler: Symphony No. 4
Featuring UA Faculty Artist Yunah Lee, soprano
Friday, March 1, 2019
Catalina Foothills High School
(4300 East Sunrise Drive)
Free Admission
Concert Opening Ensembles begin at 7:00 p.m.
Catalina Foothills High School Strings, Ryan Watson, director
CFSD Middle-School Strings, Terry Alexander, director
Arizona Symphony Orchestra begins at 7:30 p.m.
performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 4
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 2017-2018 season, Ms. Lee will make a company debut with Opera Naples in “Madama Butterfly” and appear to sing the role of Pamina in “The Magic Flute” with Orchestra Miami. Ms. Lee enjoyed an exciting season in 2016-2017, making her company debuts with Washington National Opera in the title role of “Madama Butterfly” immediately after her successful debut with Austin Lyric Opera in her signature Puccini role. The season 2015-2016 brought Ms. Lee a huge success in making her role debut in “Rusalka” with Korea National Opera. In the 2014-2015 season, Ms. lee made her company debuts with Utah Opera (“Madama Butterfly”), Tampa Opera (“Madama Butterfly”), Michigan Opera (“Madama Butterfly”) and Seoul Philharmonic (“Eugene Onegin”, “Tatyana”). In the 2013-2014 season, Ms. Lee joined the Metropolitan Opera and made her company debuts with Opera Quebec and the Glimmerglass Festival in the title role of “Madama Butterfly.” The previous season included performances with the Boston Lyric Opera (“Madama Butterfly”) and Opera Carolina (“The Magic Flute,” Pamina) as well as a solo recital at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City and a concert tour in Japan.
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 in her home town in New Jersey in 2002, and repeated the role over 160 times in venues including Virginia Opera, Grand Rapids Opera, Central City Opera, Kentucky Opera, Opera Carolina, Minnesota Opera, New York City Opera, Staattheater Bern, Staattheater St Gallen, De Vlaamse Opera, Staattheater Braunschweig, Opera Ireland, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Quebec and Dallas Opera, among others.
Ms. Lee made her New York City Opera debut as Micaëla in “Carmen” after having sung the United States premiere of the contemporary opera “Kinkakuji” with them. She later returned to perform the roles of Mimi, Zerlina, and Dew Fairyand to cover Gretel, Antonia and Liù. Ms. Lee toured Taiwan as Mimi, which she repeated in over 70 performances 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 2007. Ms. Lee made her debut with São Paulo Opera as Micaëla in “Carmen,” which she repeated with the New York City Opera, Fort Worth Opera, 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 and the National Opera of Korea.
Ms. Lee’s past performance roles include Nedda in “I Pagliacci,” Contessa Almaviva in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” Adnia in “L’elisr d’amore” and Juliette in “Romeo et Juliette.”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 five cities in South Korea. Ms. Lee was also featured in the Christmas Concert with Beijing National Symphony in China, in recitals 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.
CONTACT: (520) 621-1655
TICKETS: Free admission