Young Woo
Kim

The Korean tenor Young Woo Kim began his vocal studies at Chugye University for the Arts on a scholarship. Since then, he has received several international awards, including the “Irene Sandford Competition Award” from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. From 2016 to 2018, he was a member of the International Opera Studio at Cologne Opera, where he could already be heard as Toniolo in Gassmann’s “Gli uccellatori” (“Die Vogelfänger”), the Young Man in Schreker’s “Die Gezeichneten” and Gastone in “La Traviata”. He also sang the role of the Second Young Officer in Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s “Die Soldaten”. In 2017, “Opernwelt” magazine described him as a promising talent to watch.

At the beginning of the 2018/19 season, he joined the permanent ensemble of Cologne Opera. His roles at Cologne Opera since then have included Fenton in Verdi’s “Falstaff”, Hoffmann in “Hoffmanns Erzählungen für Kinder”, Daniel Buchanan in Kurt Weill’s “Street Scene”, Mambre in Rossini’s “Mosè in Egitto”, Sou-Chong in “Das Land des Lächelns” (in concert), a Shepherd in “Tristan und Isolde”, Don José in “Carmen”, the title role in Gounod’s “Faust”, First Armoured Man in “Die Zauberflöte”, Siegmund in “Die Walküre für Jung und Alt” and Hoffegut in “Die Vögel”. In 2021, he received the Offenbach Prize from the Freunde der Kölner Oper e. V. association in recognition of his outstanding artistic achievements. In 2022, he also appeared as Siegmund in “Die Walküre für Jung und Alt” during the company’s guest performances in South Korea.

Since 2022, he has sung the tenor part in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Dortmund, Erik in “Der fliegende Holländer” at Cologne Opera and at the Felsenbühne Sachsen, Radames in “Aida” at Theater Bielefeld, Bacchus in “Ariadne auf Naxos” at the Garsington Opera Festival, Cavaradossi in “Tosca” at the Hamburg State Opera and Cologne Opera, at the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne, as well as at Opera North in England in 2024, Don José in “Carmen” at Staatsoper Hannover and the title role in “Faust” at Cologne Opera.

In the 2024/25 season, he appeared as Radames at Oper Frankfurt, Ismaele in “Nabucco” at Cologne Opera and Don José in “Carmen” in Cologne and at the Sydney Opera House. He performed as Cavaradossi at Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and as the Prince in “L’amour des trois oranges” at Korea National Opera. He was also nominated in the Young Singer category at the 2024 International Opera Awards.

In the 2025/26 season, he appeared on the Cologne Opera stage as Des Grieux in “Manon Lescaut”, Ernani in “Ernani” and Calaf in “Turandot”. He also sang Calaf at the Sydney Opera House and Seoul Arts Center, and Cavaradossi at the Hamburg State Opera. He can also be heard as Siegfried in “Götterdämmerung” at the Elbphilharmonie, Cologne Philharmonie and Philharmonie de Paris, as well as at the Dresden Music Festival.

In summer 2025, he also appeared as Siegfried in Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung” at the Ravello Festival. At the Seoul Arts Center, he sang Calaf in Puccini’s “Turandot”, as well as Bacchus in “Ariadne auf Naxos” at the PyeongChang International Music Festival.

In the 2026/27 season, he sings the title role in Offenbach’s “Hoffmanns Erzählungen” and Macduff in Verdi’s “Macbeth” at the reopened Cologne Opera House. As Siegfried in “Götterdämmerung”, he continues a concert tour conducted by Kent Nagano, with performances in Paris, Vienna, Lucerne, Dresden and Hamburg. He also sings Calaf in Puccini’s “Turandot” in Ireland and Radamès in Verdi’s “Aida” at Oper Frankfurt and the Opernsommer Festival in Vienna.