DukeKim

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  • Tenor
Duke Kim
Duke Kim

About Duke

Duke Kim is the Second Prize Winner of both Operalia (2022) and the inaugural Juan Pons International Singing Competition (2022), as well as a Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition (2021). He is an alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera.

In the 2025 - 26 season, Duke returns to Los Angeles Opera as Tony in West Side Story and to Houston Grand Opera for a new production of Silent Night (Nikolaus Sprink). He also makes five major European house debuts: as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at both Dresden Semperoper and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma; as Gennaro in Lucrezia Borgia at Teatro de la Maestranza; and as Alfredo Germont in La traviata at Teatr Wielki, Polish National Opera. He will conclude the season at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. In concert, he performs the role of Duca di Mantova in a staged concert of Rigoletto at the Philharmonie de Paris with Le Cercle de l’Harmonie under Jérémie Rhorer and appears as Nadir in a staged concert of Les pêcheursde perles with Washington Concert Opera.

Recent highlights include his Metropolitan Opera debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute, his Los Angeles Opera debut as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, and his role debut as the Duke in Rigoletto at Santa Fe Opera. He has also appeared as Tamino at Seattle Opera and as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore with Irish National Opera.

Duke is based in California

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Contact

Grace Hewett

Grace Hewett

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

European management with Askonas Holt

General management with Opus 3 Artists

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Season Highlights

Sep 2025 - Oct 2025
Los Angeles Opera
Bernstein: West Side Story (Tony) James Conlon (conductor)
Oct 2025 - Dec 2025
Dresden Semperoper
Gounod: Roméo et Juliette (Roméo) Robert Jindra / Giampaolo Bisanti (conductor)
Dec 2025
Teatro de la Maestranza, Seville
Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia (Genaro) Maurizio Benini (conductor)
Jan 2026 - Feb 2026
Houston Grand Opera
Kevin Puts: Silent Night (Nikolaus Sprink) Kensho Watanabe (conductor)
May 2026
Teatro Wielki Opera Narodowa
Verdi: La traviata (Alfredo Germont) Patrick Fournillier (conductor)

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Selected Repertoire

Donizetti

L'Elisire d'amore (Nemorino)   •   Lucrezia Borgio (Genaro)   •   Don Pasquale

Gounod

Faust (title role)   •   Roméo et Juliette (Tybalt, Roméo)

Lehar

Die Lustige Witwe (Camille de Rosillon)

Mozart

Die Zauberflöte (Tamino)   •   Così Fan Tutte (Ferrando)   •   Don giovanni (Don Ottavio)

Rossini

Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Il Conte d'Almaviva)

Verdi

La Traviata (Alfredo Germont): Rigoletto (Duca)

News

Press

  • Roméo et Juliette (title tole)

    Los Angeles Opera
    Nov 2024

    • Duke Kim, as Romeo, was her equal in every way. His Romeo was not merely a romantic hero, but a deeply human figure, vulnerable and earnest. Kim’s voice — rich, supple, and powerful — brought Romeo’s passions to life with vivid immediacy. His “Ah! lève-toi, soleil” was a highlight of the evening, sung with such longing that it seemed to hang in the air, shimmering with the weight of Romeo’s hope and despair. Kim’s chemistry with Edris was palpable, their duets smoldering with passion and tenderness, making their tragic fate even more poignant.

  • Il barbiere di Siviglia (Conte Almaviva)

    Seattle Opera
    May 2024

    • Di ritorno a Seattle dopo il suo debutto come Alfredo nella Traviata del 2023, Duke Kim, ha conferito al Conte Almaviva un'aura di eleganza, con spigliata sicurezza e padronanza del ruolo. La sua voce chiara e rotonda, sostenuta da un fraseggio preciso, ha brillato nell'impegnativa serenata "Se il mio nome", anche se talvolta è apparsa un po' offuscata negli ensemble. Kim ha convinto anche per la sua notevole capacità attoriale, essenziale in un ruolo che prevede diverse sfaccettature, dati anche i travestimenti che il personaggio deve affrontare. - Returning to Seattle after his debut as Alfredo in La Traviata in 2023, Duke Kim, lent Count Almaviva an aura of elegance, with confident assurance and mastery of the role. His clear, rounded voice, supported by precise phrasing, shone in the demanding serenade ‘Se il mio nome’, even if it sometimes appeared a little blurred in the ensembles. Kim was also convincing for her remarkable acting ability, which is essential in a role that involves several facets, given also the disguises the character has to face.

    • Count Almaviva spends most of the show in a series of silly disguises. Sung by Duke Kim (most recently Alfredo in last season’s “La Traviata”), it’s hard to decide what’s more impressive — his delivery, or the fact that he delivers while sliding across the stage on his knees.

  • La Traviata (Alfredo Germont)

    Pittsburgh Opera
    Mar 2024

    • Kim is both charming and energetic, adding to his strong tenor voice resolute passion. Accomplished in every manner of operatic voice

    • Duke Kim, as Alfredo Germont, also making his first appearance with Pittsburgh Opera, gave another stellar performance. His tenor voice is secure and brilliant, equally placed throughout, and he acted the part as well as he sang. He, too, was clearly an audience favorite.

    • Duke Kim, who plays Alfredo, the other half of the lead duo of lovers, has a powerful voice that fills the theater. His love, sorrow and especially anger are palpable. Especially in the third act, every note feels piercing. Such dramatic emotions, even in the exaggerated context of opera, are difficult to make real, but Kim succeeds with his performance.

  • Faust (title role)

    Irish National Opera
    Oct 2023

    • Duke Kim's Faust soared, delivering one of the best performances I've seen in the role, playing off a fine Mephistopheles from Nicholas Brownlee and Jennifer Davis's sympathetic Marguerite.

    • Duke Kim (Faust) possesses a pleasing tenor voice that opened up wonderfully from Act 2 onwards, his aria “Salut, demeure chaste et pure” like liquid gold, while his love duet with Jennifer Davis’ Marguerite was utterly captivating.

    • This performance by the Irish National Opera stars tenor Duke Kim in his INO debut as the leading role of the younger Faust. Kim has a magnificent voice and an impressive back repertoire and he brings it all to the role.

  • Così fan tutte (Ferrando)

    Palm Beach Opera
    Feb 2023

    • Tenor Duke Kim as Ferrando absolutely shines as an operatic star in the aria, “Un aura amorosa” from Act I, Scene III. Kim performed with effortless technique and a brightness in the voice that displayed every stunning transition.