'So many things you can do with opera': Lee Dong-qyu has more planned after 'Phantom Singer 4'

Lee Dong-qyu, an acclaimed opera singer, took a risk by competing on the singing show "Phantom Singer 4" to sell opera to a larger audience. He tried many genres and reached the semi-finals but still thinks of himself as an opera singer.

Countertenor Lee Dong-qyu has performed mostly in Europe since he left Korea at 13. The singer was already famous in the world music scene but was able to reach out to a wider audience after appearing in the singing competition show “Phantom Singer 4'' on JTBC earlier this year. [KWEN HYEK-JAE]

When opera singer Lee Dong-qyu appeared as one of the participants on the singing competition show “Phantom Singer 4” on JTBC, the judges and fellow contestants alike had but one question: “What brings you here?”

That’s because the countertenor doesn’t have to prove himself. He is already an acclaimed musician in the global music scene. The 45-year-old singer has won awards from international music competitions since the late 1990s and has been a regular at major opera festivals held in Vienna, Hamburg, Berlin, Basel, and Madrid.

Many of his acquaintances tried to dissuade him from trying out for the singing survival show, saying, “Once you go on a popular TV show, there is a slim chance that you'll return to classical music. You may not come back again.”

The TV show brings together under-recognized and undiscovered male vocalists in various fields, from classical music and musical theater to K-pop. The participants form quartets and compete with other groups each week by completing missions.

Lee, however, decided to take the risk. Though he was the oldest, he was considered the biggest contender by others.

Lee said he had two initial goals when joining the TV show: “I wanted to check and see how the TV show was produced, and I wanted to sell opera to [a larger] audience.”

By singing a wide range of songs such as "Habanera" from the opera “Carmen” or canzone, to a Korean song by veteran singer Yang Hee-eun, Lee helped his team Fortena wrap up the show as semi-finalists.

“The competition was easier than I had expected. I have been singing between three and four hours [every day] since I was 19, but I only sang one song [for each round of the show].”

Lee was able to reach a wider audience through the show, which aired between March and June, but he still thinks of himself as an opera singer. During a recent interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, he said, “Opera has saved my life. I can perform while I’m singing, so I can’t give up on it.

“I ask my team members for their understanding and still prioritize doing operas in Europe,” Lee added.

Most of his opera performances are far from being the most sought-after. Far from mainstream, the performances could be considered rare. For example, Lee appeared in Francesco Cavalli's “La Calisto” in August in Nuremberg, Germany. The opera is rarely performed outside the country, not to mention Korea.

When stage director Jens-Daniel Herzog took the helm of the Nuremberg Opera House, he added some comical twists to “La Calisto” and cast Lee for the role of a janitor.

By appearing in less popular pieces, Lee dreams of seeing new faces knocking on the doors of opera theaters to see the type of unfamiliar show. And his dream is becoming a reality little by little.

“A couple of my fans flew into Nuremberg to watch my performance. They said they would stay there for three days. They saw the piece for the first time and knew little about the music, but they could understand the whole show and had so much fun while watching it. This kind of thing is possible” in opera, Lee said.

The opera singer is scheduled to appear in “Le Grand Macabre” by Ligeti Gyorgy in Prague next June and will be performing as part of a new opera two years later in Dortmund, Germany.

Lee has been performing in such rare and classical pieces, all thanks to his unique voice. The vocal range of a countertenor is equivalent to that of a female contralto or mezzo-soprano. Countertenors sing in falsetto, and they thrived during the Baroque period. This is why most of the shows Lee performs in were written before the 18th century. Such old operas are considered by contemporary musicians today because they are “strangely attractive and conjure up images of mystery and fantasy,” according to Lee.

“I’m especially doing a lot of premieres in the world music scene. I’ve been doing between seven and eight operas from the same period.”

In Frankfurt in 2019, Lee performed in the opera “Three Sisters” by Anton Chekhov. Unlike other “Three Sisters” performances, all three major characters were played by countertenors in the 2019 version. Clad in pant skirts, Lee acted out the role of the second sister Olga.

Lee plays the role of Oberon in the opera “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Benjamin Britten. It was performed in Vienna, Austria between 2005 and 2006. [LEE DONG-QYU]

“Having countertenors at the forefront, experimental touches have been added to the opera pieces written during the Baroque period and even to contemporary operas. This new style is all the rage in Europe these days,” Lee said.

Lee has loved acting ever since he was little. For him, opera stages are nothing but the best hangout place. He describes the experience of indulging in opera as “being bitten by the opera bug.” He hopes to see more people get bit by the bug because the experience is sensational and entertaining.

“There are so many things you can do with opera. I want you to know that there are varied operas, and they offer you more than pretty dresses. You could turn a piece set in the Baroque period into the setting of modern society or surprise people by switching the roles of the male and female leads in ‘Carmen.’”

As for some of the opera performances Lee wants to promote to those who came to know him through the “Phantom Singer,” “Yuki Kuramto and Friends” will be another chance to see him singing. Lee pairs up with the Japanese pianist on Christmas Day at Lotte Concert Hall, located in Sincheon-dong of Jamsil District, southern Seoul.

Lee will perform more frequently starting next year, with a solo concert and tour concerts scheduled. An album will be released, too.

“I will record diverse songs [for the album] from pieces by Vivaldi to the ones I sang during the ‘Phantom Singer.’”

BY KIM HO-JOUNG [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]