Chinese tenor Mingjie Lei, a native of Hengyang, is rapidly gaining international acclaim,andhailedbyThe New York Timesas "a beautifully plush voicewithelegant musicianship.... tasteful and deeplymoving” and by theGuardianas “A future star.” Aformermember of the Staatstheater Stuttgartensemble, Mr. Lei is a Prize Winner of the Prestigious Neue Stimmen International VocalCompetition and the ARD InternationalMusicCompetition, as well as the Winner of the Song Prizeof the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

 

In the 2025/26 season, Mingjie Lei will make his debut at the Royal Ballet and Opera, CoventGarden in London, first singing Tamino inDie Zauberflöte,and then as the Innocent inBoris Godunovstarring Bryn Terfel and conducted by Mark Wigglesworth. Elsewhere, he will sing Tamino at Opérade Lille with Emmanuelle Häim, and return to the Salzburg Festival for a new production, to beannounced. Future engagements include a return to the Royal Ballet and Opera, Royal SwedishOpera, Komische Oper Berlin and more.In recent seasons, appearances have included Ernesto inDon Pasqualewith Opernhaus Zürich(Christof Loy, Enrique Mazzola), Staatsoper Hamburg, and Staatstheater Stuttgart, Tamino withDutch National Opera,Staatsoper Stuttgart,Iopas inLes Troyenswith Lyric Opera of Chicago,Belfiore inIl viaggio a Reimswith the Deutsche Oper Berlin,Fenton with Deutsche Oper Berlin,Staatstheater Stuttgart and Opera Colorado, Ferrando inCosì fan tuttewith Wiener Konzerthaus,Bremen Musikfestspiele, Lucerne Festival, Opera Vlaanderen, and Staatsoper Stuttgart,Saêb inBarkoufwith Opernhaus Zürich,a staged version of Haydn’sMessa in tempore belliwith DutchNational Operaand Narciso inIl Turco in Italiawith Staatsoper Hamburg and Opernhaus Zürich.Additional projects as part of the Staatstheater Stuttgart ensemble include Don Ottavio inDonGiovanni,Pylade inIphigenie en Tauride,Fenton inFalstaff,a full staged version of Schubert’sDie SchöneMüllerinand First Officer inDer Prinz von Homburg,which was released on Naxos records.In concert, Mingjie Lei has performed Mozart’sMass in C Minorwith the Salzburg Festival,conducted by Teodor Currentzis as well as with Opera Vlaanderen,Purcell’sThe Indian Queenontour with Utopia Orchestra and Teodor Currentzis with stops in Berlin, Paris and Antwerp;Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9at the Elbphilharmonie, Wiener Konzerthaus,TonKünstler orchestraat St. Pölten Festspielhaus,Philharmonie de Paris, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, andMozart’sRequiemontour with Jordi Savall at thePhilharmonie de Paris, l’Auditori de Barcelona,Alte Oper Frankfurt,Auditorium National de Lyon,andthe Arc-en-Senans in the Dole region of France,Bach’sMass in BMinorwith Tirol Festespiel,Haydn’sThe Seasonswith the Salzburg Festival,andMessiahwith theOratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Halland with the Cecilia Chorus, also in New York.Inrecital with pianist Jan Philip Schulze, Mingjie Lei made appearances at Wigmore Hall in London,and the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.

 

MingjieLei holds a Bachelor of Music from Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, a Master ofMusic in Voice from Manhattan School of Music in New York City, and anArtist Diploma in Operafrom the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.He was a member of the Patrick G. and ShirleyW. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Young Singers Project with the SalzburgFestival.