Deun Lee
Acclaimed Conductor & OPera coach
Deun Lee is a South Korean orchestra and opera conductor, raised in Milan, Italy. He is widely recognized for his dynamic artistry across both symphonic and operatic repertoire, with a growing international presence.
He is the recipient of numerous conducting awards, including Mention Spéciale Ex-Æquo at the 57th Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors (France), 1st Prize at the Plovdiv Opera Conducting Competition (Bulgaria), and the 1st Prize and Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova Recommendation Prize at the L. Mancinelli International Competition for Opera Conductors in Italy, where he led Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at Teatro Mancinelli di Orvieto. Additional honors include 1st Prize and Orchestra’s Choice at the Athens International Conducting Masterclass & Competition (Greece), 1st Prize at the LWI Thessaloniki International Conducting Competition, 1st Prize and Orchestra Special Prize at both the Danube Conducting Competition (Budapest) and the BMI International Conducting Competition (Bucharest). He has also been named Artist of the Week by Operabase and recognized as a "Conductor of the Future" by Opera Charm Magazine.
Deun Lee completed degrees in piano (under M. Silvia Rumi) and voice (under M. Vittorio Terranova) at the Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano. He continued his vocal studies at the Accademia Chigiana di Siena with M. Renato Bruson and later earned both a Master’s degree and Professional Studies Diploma in voice at Mannes College in New York under Prof. Arthur Levy. He then returned to Milan to complete a Master’s in Orchestra Conducting under Maestro Vittorio Parisi at the Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano, graduating with highest honors.
He has conducted a wide range of operatic and orchestral works as principal conductor, including L’elisir d’amore, La clemenza di Tito, La Bohème, Un Ballo in Maschera, Gianni Schicchi, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Turandot, Il Trovatore, La cambiale di matrimonio (Rossini Festival 150), Rigoletto, La Traviata, Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, L’Italiana in Algeri, Carmen, Faust, Bluebeard’s Castle, Petrushka (1911), and Carmina Burana. His engagements have taken him to major theaters and venues including the National Korea Theater, Seoul Arts Center, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts Grand Theater, Lotte Concert Hall, Teatro Coccia di Novara, Teatro Mancinelli di Orvieto, Teatro Dal Verme di Milano, Sala Verdi di Milano, Teatro Elfo Puccini di Milano, Teatro Carcano di Milano, Teatro sull’Acqua di Sassetta, Théâtre Ledoux de Besançon, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Vigadó Concert Hall, Danube Palace, Palatul Culturii, Lincoln Center Bruno Walter Auditorium, DiMenna Center, LeFrak Concert Hall, Jersey City Hall, and Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall (where he also gave a solo tenor recital).
He has worked with leading professional orchestras such as the Korea National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre Victor Hugo Franche-Comté, Leipziger Symphonieorchester, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Plovdiv State Opera Orchestra, Budapest MAV Symphony, Danubia Orchestra, Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester, Bucharest Symphony, LaVerdi Orchestra, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali, Filarmonica Teatro Verdi di Trieste, Berlin Sinfonietta, Orchestra Cupiditas, Orchestra da Camera Fiorentina, Ensemble Testori, Brescia MasterOrchestra, Prime Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, and the Orchestra del Conservatorio di Milano.
He was selected as assistant conductor under Maestro Alessandro Ferrari for Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Filarmonica della Scala, in collaboration with the Conservatorio G. Verdi di Milano, where he prepared the student orchestra alongside members of the Filarmonica. He has also served as assistant conductor at Opéra de Lille, Varna State Opera, Teatro Lirico di Magenta, Teatro Coccia di Novara, Teatro Spazio89 di Milano, Budapest Festival Orchestra, and the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken.
Deun Lee regularly teaches masterclasses in conducting, voice, and opera coaching in Italy, South Korea, and Greece (Athens Conservatoire). He is Artistic Director and conductor of the Bell’Opera Festival in Italy and has been invited for future productions with the Korean National Opera, Morellino Festival, Plovdiv State Opera, and Astana State Opera in Kazakhstan. He will reprise L’Italiana in Algeri with Korean National Opera and is engaged in upcoming collaborations with Seoul Metropolitan Opera. He has served as a jury member for the Korean National Opera’s Europe casting auditions and the Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition.