Joseph Lim

Noted by the New York Times as “elegant” and showing “passion and depth”, Korean baritone Joseph Lim is rapidly becoming one of the most notable lyric baritones of his generation. During the 2023-24 season, returns to the Metropolitan Opera to sing and cover Le Dancaïre in Carrie Cracknell’s new production of Carmen under the baton of Daniele Rustioni as well as Nashville Opera to perform the role of Silvio in I Pagliacci directed by John Hoomes and conducted by Dean Williamson. Mr. Lim makes debuts with Houston Grand Opera in the world-premiere of Big Swim, a new commission by composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien, and the Lotte Concert Hall as Marcello in La Bohème. In the 2022-23 season, he made debuts with the Metropolitan Opera as Flemish Deputy in David McVicar’s production of Don Carlos with Carlo Rizzi on the podium and Nashville Opera singing Wang Yue in the opera world premiere of Stuck Elevator.

Recent engagements include his Deutsche Oper am Rhein debut singing Schaunard in La Bohème and Grégorio in its new production of Roméo et Juliette. He was previously on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera to cover Guglielmo in Così fan tutte; Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos; and De Valvert in their new production of Cyrano de Bergerac as well as a soloist in their Summer Recital Series in New York City parks. Mr. Lim made his debut at the Festival of the Aegean in Greece performing the role of Silvio in I Pagliacci. Other career highlights include a gala concert with Opera Carolina; a solo recital accompanied by Brian Zeger at Weill Recital Hall with the Carnegie Hall Foundation; a debut with Opera Roanoke as Papageno in The Magic Flute; covering the role of Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale at The Santa Fe Opera; performing with Opera Birmingham as Schaunard in La Bohème and appearing in the New Year’s Concert with Seoul Arts Center in Korea.

Mr. Lim concluded his tenure at the prestigious Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. During the period at the Lyric, he was seen as Schaunard in La Bohème and Marullo in Rigoletto. Mr. Lim covered the roles of Dr. Malatesta in Don Pasquale and Albert in Werther. He sang Escamillo of Carmen with the Lyric Opera Orchestra in “Stars of Lyric Opera at Millennium Park”. He also sang the role of Dr. Malatesta in Ryan Center’s summer production of Così fan tutte and returned to Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival to sing the role of Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. He performed the role of Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro and Schaunard in La Bohème under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis with the Civic Orchestra at Symphony Center. He was seen as Schlemil in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, and Frontier Guard in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. In addition, Mr. Lim covered the roles of Hermann in Les contes d’Hoffmann, Tchelkalov in Boris Godunov, Wig Maker in Ariadne auf Naxos and the role of 2nd Priest in Die Zauberflöte. He also sang the role of Guglielmo in the Ryan Opera Center’s summer production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and made his debut with the Grant Park Orchestra in a concert of Mozart and Donizetti opera ensembles at The Harris Theater in Chicago. Mr. Lim has performed in recital with Brian Zeger, Craig Terry, Eric Weimer, Brent Mcmunn, Alan Darling and Paul Floyd. He has given recitals and concerts through the Ravinia Music Festival, the Chorale Bel Canto, the Opera Associates, the Opera Association of Los Angeles, the Palm Springs Opera Guild, Opera Buffs Inc., the Orange County Choral Society and Orchestra and the Music Academy of the West. 

​In addition to being a Grand Prize Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mr. Lim was a 1st Place Winner at the Palm Springs Opera Competition and second place at the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Competition. He has also received awards and scholarships from the Loren L. Zachary National Competition, the Marilyn Horne Song Competition, and the Los Angeles Opera Association. Mr. Lim is a graduate of Seoul National University and the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California where he studied voice with baritone Rod Gilfry.