Biography
Praised by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times for his “bright tenor voice and vitality,” Dr. Alexander Wook Lee is a Korean-American tenor, stage director, conductor, and music educator with a dynamic international career spanning opera, oratorio, musical theatre, and choral performance.
As a versatile performer, Dr. Lee has taken on lead operatic roles such as Azaël (L’enfant prodigue), Don José (La Tragédie de Carmen), Ferrando (Così fan tutte), Gérald (Lakmé), Goro (Madama Butterfly), Acis (Acis and Galatea), and Candide (Candide). His performances as Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and as Goro with the Martina Arroyo Foundation received critical acclaim. He has performed across the U.S., South Korea, Turkey, Romania, Italy, and Austria at venues including the Opera America Center, Korean National Theatre, and Sala Patria in Brașov.
Dr. Lee is also a sought-after oratorio soloist. His tenor solo engagements include Carmina Burana, Messiah, St. John Passion, The Creation, Mass in G, and Requiem (Mozart), performed with major ensembles and orchestras internationally. In recent years, he has expanded his career into musical theatre and choral conducting. He directed full productions such as Godspell, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical, where he served as music director and conductor.
As an opera and theatre director, Dr. Lee has led innovative productions for Le nozze di Figaro, Hänsel und Gretel, The Magic Flute, Dido and Aeneas, Red Riding Hood, La Canterina, and Women’s Suffrage.
Dr. Lee currently serves as Associate Professor of Voice and Opera Director at Marshall University in Huntington, WV, where he is also the Coordinator of Voice Studies. He was a President of both the Tri-State and South Korea Chapters of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and since 2022 has served as the NATS International Region Conference Coordinator.
He has presented lectures and masterclasses at institutions worldwide, including Universitatea Transilvania (Romania), Eastern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University, East Tennessee State, Butler University, the University of Arizona, Northern Caribbean University, and Myongji University in Seoul. His research focuses on Korean diction for non-native speakers and fostering global connections through vocal music.
Dr. Lee earned his D.M.A. from Rutgers University, M.M. from Manhattan School of Music, and B.M. from Myongji University.