2006 | Soyeon Lee, Piano

Soyeon Lee

About the Artist

Korean pianist Soyeon Lee has been hailed by critics and audiences alike for performances of rare passion and grace. Her rapturous playing has brought numerous accolades and successes including top prizes at the Concert Artists Guild International Piano Competition, Cleveland International Piano Competition, and the Paloma O’Shea Santander International Piano Competition. At 26, having already worked with conductors such as Jahja Ling, Otto-Werner Mueller, and Rafael Frübeck de Burgos, and orchestra such as the Cleveland Orchestra and London Symphony, Ms. Lee continues to bring her unique power and sensitivity to audiences around the world. Recently described by the New York Times as a pianist with “a huge, richly varied sound, a lively imagination and a firm sense of style,” highlights of her 2006–07 season include recitals at the Ravinia Rising Stars Series, Dame Myra Hess Series, the Kennedy Center, and the Phillips Collection, as well as an appearance with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (GA), performing Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto.

Ms. Lee has performed recitals throughout the U.S. and abroad in recent seasons, appearing in notable venues such as Lincoln Center, Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Auditorio de Musica de Nacional in Madrid, Baek’Am Art Hall in Seoul, and Gewandhaus in Leipzig. Additionally, her 2003–04 season featured a 13-city recital tour of Spain. She has been heard with the San Diego Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of the Dominican Republic, Shreveport Symphony, Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, and Juilliard Orchestra, among others. In the spring of 2004, Soyeon Lee made her Lincoln Center recital debut at Alice Tully Hall as the recipient of The Juilliard School’s prestigious William Petschek Piano Debut Award. While at Juilliard, she won the Rachmaninoff Concerto Competition as well as two consecutive Gina Bachauer Scholarship Competitions, and was awarded the Helen Fay Prize, Arthur Rubinstein Prize, and the Susan Rose Career Grant. An avid chamber musician, Ms .Lee has performed at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Laguna Beach Music Festival, and the Taos Chamber Music Festival. She actively performs as part of the Edgeffect Ensemble, a piano trio, collaborating with Grammy-award winning violinist and composer Mark O’Connor. Most recent project includes joint concerts in Seoul with her pop-star sister, Soeun Lee. Ms. Lee was recently featured on the cover of Symphony Magazine’s 2006 emerging artists of the next generation. She has recorded the Scarlatti sonatas for the Naxos label, and can be seen in the NHK documentary “Classic Club” airing nationally in Japan. Ms. Lee has been heard live on WQXR New York’s McGraw-Hill Young Artists Showcase and WNYC’s John Schaffer’s Soundbytes, as well as recorded performances on Washington D.C.’s NPR, WGMS, and Cleveland’s WCLV.

Soyeon Lee began studying piano at the age of five in Korea. She moved to the United States at the age of nine and attended the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, graduating with the highest honors in music. Her early teachers included Victoria Mushkatkol and Marina Schmidt. Ms. Lee earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, studying with Jerome Lowenthal and Robert McDonald. Most recently she earned Juilliard’s Distinguished Artist diploma, and continues her studies in master classes with Lev Natochenny.