“…the first to score big was was Tenor, WooYoung Yoon, with eight pure and glorious high C’s in Tonio’s aria, “Ah, mes amis!” from the Daughter of the Regiment. Unlike famous performers of this knotty aria, Yoon didn’t rush into the climaxing ninth high C. He paused, took a big breath with a sigh, bringing friendly laughter from the audience, and then hit the rafters and held the note right into the inevitable ovation.” The 2018 Merola finale was grand indeed.” ……. Janos Gereben-San Francisco Classical Voice
“In the title role, WooYoung Yoon’s dark voice and verisimo aesthetic lent a touch of melancholy to the enlightened Emperor. Yoon’s many recitatives were thoughtful and well delivered, and his vocal poise helped convey nobility and anger.” La Clemenza di Tito ..…Judith Malafronte- Opera News
Tenor WooYoung Yoon recently made his role debut in Berlioz’s Le Damnation de Faust with the Orquesta Sinfonica National de Costa Rica with Maestro John Nelson. A 2019 Grand Prize Winner in the Orpheus Compeittion, Korean Tenor, WooYoung Yoon’s previous opera credits include Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, and Tito in La Clemenza di Tito, as well as Rodolfo in Luisa Miller and Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Manhattan School of Music. In 2017, Mr. Yoon covered Don Jose in Carmen for the Martina Arroyo Foundation Prelude to Performance, after debuting the role in 2016, when he made his Italian debut as Don Jose in Carmen with the Trentino Music Festival. Recently he also debuted as Tonio (Daughter of the Regiment) in the Merola Grand Finale on the stage of San Francisco Opera. In the spring of 2019 he returned to San Francisco Opera for a recital in the Schwabacher Recital Series, and then joined the New Jersey State Opera as Rodolfo in La Boheme. His debut at Carnegie Hall performing Mozart’s Regina Coeli with Mid America Productions was cancelled due to Covid. This season WooYoung performs Almaviva in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville with Knoxville Opera, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Lubbock Symphony, and returns to the Orquesta Sinfonica National de Costa Rica for Christus am Oelberg with Maestro John Nelson.
Mr. Yoon has distinguished himself in a variety of major competitions. He has most recently, been named a Met National Council Eastern Regional Finalist, a finalist in the Harbin competition, a semi-finalist in the Zachary Competition, and won the Grand Prix Prize at the Talents of the World Voice Competition, as well as the Audience Favorite Award. He won third place in the Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition, which along with a cash prize includes a role at Opera Nova in Bydgoszcz, Poland. In 2017 the tenor was a finalist in the Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition, The Alfredo Silipigni Vocal Competition, and received Honorable Mention from the Metropolitan International Vocal Competition in 2016.
Mr. Yoon was a young artist for the Merola Opera Program and for Music Academy International. He holds both Professional Studies and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Neil Rosenshein.
