Conductor TaeJung Lee

TaeJung Lee is a renowned Korean conductor of immense versatility and vision, rapidly establishing a presence on the international stage as a definitive 21st-century musical voice. Recognized for an artistic authority that commands respect from distinguished ensembles, Lee represents a "new wave" of leadership—serving as a bridge between the intellectual depth of the score and the visceral human experience. Deeply rooted in the Viennese tradition yet intensely engaged with the progressive currents of the present, his approach dissolves the traditional boundaries between the contemporary and the canon, distilling lucid, penetrating perspective into powerful, luminous performance.

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Increasingly recognized as an extraordinary interpreter of the Late Romantic, the Modern era, and Contemporary music, Lee’s mastery extends from the masterworks of Mozart and Mahler to the 21st-century vanguard. This artistic vision has been demonstrated on the podiums of elite ensembles worldwide, including the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna (RSO WIEN), where he made a milestone debut in the Großer Musikvereinssaal Wien, followed by a return to the Golden Hall in the 2013/2014 season. His guest conducting engagements include the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Porto National Symphony Orchestra (Casa da Música), the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (OFJ) of the Teatro Degollado, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Lee’s extensive orchestral collaborations further extend to the SNG Maribor Orchestra of the Slovenian National Theatre, the Rijeka Symphony Orchestra of the Croatian National Theatre, the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Banatul State Philharmonic Orchestra Timișoara.

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In his native Korea and across Europe, he has led a wide array of esteemed orchestras, including the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Gwacheon Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Korea Coop Orchestra, Philharmonia Corea, the Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, the Joy Symphony Orchestra, the Gongju City Chungnam Symphony Orchestra, and the orchestras of the Detmold University of Music and the Korean National University of Arts. In Austria, he has developed a significant profile through his close work with such renowned ensembles as the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Beethoven Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Sinfonietta Baden, and the specialized OENM (Österreichisches Ensemble für Neue Musik). His interpretive range is further evidenced through collaborations with the Sejong Camerata and the Noura Ensemble.

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A pivotal figure in the global contemporary landscape, Lee’s leadership of the internationally broadcast closing concert of the ISCM – World New Music Days with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra garnered significant attention. His work is defined by close collaborations with a diverse array of international composers—including Vito Žuraj, Hèctor Parra, and Max Savikangas, as well as creators from Spain, Great Britain, Finland, Ireland, and Slovenia—earning him widespread acclaim for his precision and expressive depth in navigating complex modern scores. In close partnership with the Arts Council Korea (ARKO) within the framework of the ARKO Korean Contemporary Orchestra Music Festival, he is deeply committed to the promotion and dissemination of contemporary Korean music in Europe; this has included leading numerous European premieres of works by Korean composers with the Banatul State Philharmonic Orchestra Timișoara in Romania. His expertise in the genre is further underscored by significant recording projects of contemporary orchestral works and the world premiere of Daniel Espen’s L’eterno Ritorno at the Croatian National Theatre Rijeka. At Festival Maribor, he led the premiere of Robert Kamplet’s Piano Concerto, a production broadcast internationally via the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

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Equally distinguished in the opera pit, Lee has earned widespread critical acclaim for his dramatic command across a vast repertoire spanning central works by Mozart, Verdi, and Puccini to the complexities of Late Romanticism and Modernism. His operatic leadership includes serving as the main conductor for Così fan tutte at the National Opera of Korea (Seoul Opera Festival) and leading La Bohème (directed by Fabrizio Melano) at the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka. His performances of Madama Butterfly and Carmen at the Musikfestival Steyr were noted for a vibrant and high-impact musicality that left an impressive impact on audiences and critics alike. Lee’s extensive theatrical credits also include Die Fledermaus, Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Menotti’s The Telephone, and Haydn’s L’anima del Filosofo – Orfeo ed Euridice. At the Schlosstheater Schönbrunn and various other international stages, he has also led productions of L’elisir d’amore and Roberto Molinelli’s Processo a Babbo Natale. Notably, he led the prestigious New Year’s Concerts at the Rijeka Opera House, celebrating the city’s designation as the European Capital of Culture. In Vienna, he gained significant recognition for leading the concertante premiere of Herbert Lauermann’s opera Die Höhle von Salamanca in the Gläserner Saal/Magna Auditorium of the Wiener Musikverein with musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic and the Tonkünstler Orchestra.

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A defining period of his professional development was spent working closely with his mentor, Bertrand de Billy, whom he assisted at the Theater an der Wien on major productions such as Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler (directed by Keith Warner) and Verdi’s Macbeth (directed by Roland Geyer). At the National Opera of Korea, he also worked as co-conductor for high-profile productions of Die lustige Witwe (directed by Guy Joosten) and Rossini's Guillaume Tell (directed by Vera Nemirova). Throughout his career, Lee has collaborated with a vast array of legendary operatic stars, including Plácido Domingo, Franz Grundheber, Kwangchul Youn, Wolfgang Koch, Manuela Uhl, George Petean, Kurt Streit, Roberto Frontali, Daniel Schmutzhard, Sebastian Holecek, Roy Cornelius Smith, Serena Farnocchia, Akiko Nakajima, Raymond Very, Charles Reid, Arturo Chacón-Cruz, Yosep Kang, Katerina Tretyakova, and Clemens Unterreiner.

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His festival appearances include the International Late Summer Music Festival Dubrovnik, the International Festival Dubrovnik Musical Spring, the International Music Festival Dubrovnik Musical Autumn, the ARKO Korea Orchestra Music Festival, and Festival Maribor, and he previously served as conductor of the Jinju LeeSangGeun International Music Festival. The caliber of his symphonic work is further underscored by collaborations with world-class soloists such as Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway, Peter Jablonski, Anne Gastinel, Dmitry Sinkovsky, Claire Huangci, Martina Filjak, Petrit Çeku, Mak Grgic, Boštjan Lipovšek, Saar Berger and Igor Fedorov.

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Lee’s musical journey began in Seoul, where he graduated from Seoul Arts High School as a piano major and earned his Bachelor of Music at the Korean National University of Arts under Chi-Yong Chung (Conducting) and Myung-Wha Chung (Chamber Music). Seeking to further refine his craft within the heart of the European tradition and becoming deeply rooted in the Viennese tradition, he moved to Vienna to receive his professional training at the University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw) under the legendary Professor Uroš Lajovic, completing his Magister studies with distinction. Between 2011 and 2013, he pursued postgraduate studies in orchestral conducting at the mdw under Fabio Luisi, Bertrand de Billy, and Uroš Lajovic, having also studied opera coaching with Professor Konrad Leitner. He further deepened his expertise in contemporary music at the International Summer Academy of the Mozarteum Salzburg under Johannes Kalitzke.

Beyond his formal studies, Lee has honed his craft through intensive artistic exchange with many of the world’s most venerable maestros, including Zubin Mehta, Bernard Haitink, Kurt Masur, Myung-Whun Chung, Jorma Panula, and Toyama Yuzo. Notably, his interpretation of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in a masterclass with Sir Simon Rattle earned high praise, marking him as a conductor of rare creative curiosity and limitless potential.

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Lee continues to redefine the modern podium, dedicated to shaping an uncompromising artistic vision into performances of rare clarity and radiant depth.