South Korean tenor Valentin Lee, who was awarded the Marvão International Music Festival Artistic Engagement at the Cascais Opera – International Vocal Competition 2025, returns to Portugal to perform in the 2026 edition of the Festival.
Valentin Lee will appear in two of the Festival’s flagship events. On 30 July, in the afternoon, he will perform in a Lied recital alongside soprano Juliane Banse, violinist James Cuddeford and pianist Aleksandar Madžar, presenting Dichterliebe, Op. 48, by Robert Schumann, one of the most celebrated song cycles in the tenor repertoire.
On 2 August, he will take the stage at the Festival’s Farewell Gala, held in the courtyard of Marvão Castle, performing with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta under the baton of Christoph Poppen. The programme features works by Mozart and Franz Lehár, as well as the celebrated duet “Au fond du temple saint” from Georges Bizet’s opera The Pearl Fishers.
The partnership between Cascais Opera and the Marvão International Music Festival continues to generate tangible performance opportunities for the Competition’s participants. Following Valentin Lee’s engagement in 2026, the Festival’s Artistic Director, Juliane Banse, has already selected two additional South Korean singers to perform at future editions of the Festival: baritone Junyoung Choi in 2027 and soprano Seonwoo Lee in 2028. This continued collaboration reflects the Festival’s confidence in the artistic calibre of Cascais Opera’s participants and further strengthens a partnership dedicated to supporting the professional development of emerging opera singers.
