programme & tickets programme

Young Woo
Kim

current productions
Portrait of tenor Young Woo Kim against a light grey studio background. He is standing at a slight angle to the camera, looking directly into the lens with a calm expression. He is wearing a beige coat over a white T-shirt and dark trousers. His short black hair, moustache, and goatee are defining features of his appearance. His relaxed posture, with one hand in his trouser pocket, conveys composure and confidence.
Tenor Young Woo © Teresa Rothwangl

vita

South 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 of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. From 2016 to 2018, he was a member of the International Opera Studio at Cologne Opera, where he appeared in roles including Toniolo in Gassmann's "Gli uccellatori" ("The Bird Catchers"), 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, the magazine *Opernwelt* named him one of the most promising young talents to watch.

At the beginning of the 18/19 season, he joined the permanent ensemble of Cologne Opera. Since then, his roles at the company have included Fenton in Verdi's "Falstaff", Hoffmann in "Hoffmann's Tales for Children", Daniel Buchanan in Kurt Weill's "Street Scene", Mambre in Rossini's "Mosè in Egitto", Sou-Chong in "Das Land des Lächelns" (concert performance), the Shepherd in "Tristan und Isolde", Don José in "Carmen", the title role in Gounod's "Faust", the First Armoured Man in "Die Zauberflöte", Siegmund in "Die Walküre für Jung und Alt", and Hoffegut in "Die Vögel". In 2021, he was awarded the Offenbach Prize by the Friends of Cologne Opera Association in recognition of his outstanding artistic achievements. In 2022, he also appeared as Siegmund in "Die Walküre für Jung und Alt" during Cologne Opera's guest performances in South Korea.

Since 2022, he has sung the tenor solo in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Dortmund, Erik in "Der fliegende Holländer" at Cologne Opera and 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, Cologne Opera, the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne, and in 2024 at Opera North in England. He has also appeared as Don José in "Carmen" at Hanover State Opera and in the title role of "Faust" at Cologne Opera.

During the 24/25 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 also performed Cavaradossi at Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and the Prince in "L’amour des trois oranges" at the Korea National Opera. In addition, he was nominated in the Young Singer category at the 2024 International Opera Awards.

During the 25/26 season, he appeared at Cologne Opera as Des Grieux in "Manon Lescaut", Ernani in "Ernani", and Calaf in "Turandot". He also sang Calaf at the Sydney Opera House and the Seoul Arts Center, and Cavaradossi at the Hamburg State Opera. Furthermore, he performs the role of Siegfried in "Götterdämmerung" at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Cologne Philharmonie, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Dresden Music Festival.

In the 26/27 season, he will sing the title role in Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffmann" and Macduff in Verdi's "Macbeth" at the reopened Cologne Opera House. As Siegfried in "Götterdämmerung", he will continue a concert tour under Kent Nagano with performances in Paris, Vienna, Lucerne, Dresden, and Hamburg.

current productions with Young Woo Kim

  • Festakt der Bühnen

    Blick von der Bühne in den Zuschauerraum der Oper am Offenbachplatz mit ansteigenden Sitzreihen mit hellblauen Bezügen, mehreren geschwungenen Balkonen und warmen Holzvertäfelungen.
    Detailaufnahme der markanten Holzvertäfelung im Saalinnenraum der Oper Köln am Offenbachplatz. Die Maserung des Holzes ist deutlich sichtbar und wirkt lebendig, während die warme Farbgebung dem Raum eine elegante und einladende Wirkung verleiht.

  • Hoffmanns Erzählungen

    Jacques Offenbach

    Nahaufnahme eines Mannes mittleren Alters vor schwarzem Hintergrund in warmer, cineastischer Lichtstimmung. Mit kurzem, zerzaustem braunem Haar liegt er auf einem wasserbedeckten Boden und blickt den Betrachter an. Er trägt ein weißes Hemd; Gesicht und Oberkörper spiegeln sich in der dunklen Wasserfläche. Sein erschöpfter, introvertierter Ausdruck vermittelt Rückblick, Sehnsucht und innere Zerrissenheit. Die Szene erinnert an Hoffmann aus Jacques Offenbachs Hoffmanns Erzählungen.
    Abstraktes, stimmungsvolles Bild in kühlen Blau- und warmen Rosétönen: Weiche Farbverläufe und unscharfe Übergänge erzeugen eine traumartige Atmosphäre und evozieren die Welt von Hoffmanns Erzählungen von Jacques Offenbach.

    Premiere | OPER on

  • Macbeth

    Abstract, atmospheric image in warm shades of orange, red, and deep violet. Soft color gradients create a dense, shimmering atmosphere without recognizable forms. The composition feels glowing and intense, with darker edges and a subtly illuminated center. The result is a dramatic, tension-filled mood that evokes heat, unrest, and an underlying sense of threat. An associative reflection of the dark, psychologically charged world of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Macbeth.
    Abstract, atmospheric image in warm, blending tones of orange, red, and deep violet. The soft transitions create a dense, almost shimmering atmosphere without discernible forms. The color composition appears intense and glowing, with darker areas at the edges and a slightly brightened center. Overall, the image conveys a dramatic, tension-filled mood, evoking heat, unrest, and an underlying sense of threat, and reflectively capturing the dark, psychologically charged world of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Macbeth.

    Premiere | OPER on

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