Hailed by the Myrtle Beach Herald as “a soloist which one should make a special effort to hear,
wherever she plays”, violinist Jessica Lee, the First Prize Winner of the
2005 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, was featured in the “Launch
Pad” column of The Strad as the magazine’s “pick of up-and-coming
musicians”. Describing her recent recital on the Ravinia Rising Stars
series, the Chicago Tribune said: “…Lee’s breathtaking dexterity should
enchant anyone within hearing distance.”
This season marks Jessica’s European solo debut, featuring a concerto
performance with the Plzen Philharmonic and in recital at the beautiful and
prestigious Rudolfinum in Prague, Czech Republic.
Ms. Lee recently performed the Tchaikovsky Concerto on one-week notice with the
Minot Symphony Orchestra after a whirlwind autumn season of performances with
the Long Bay, Pine Bluff, and Stamford Symphonies. She has also appeared with
the Modesto Symphony, Fort Smith Symphony, and made her debut recital at
Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, as well as making festival appearances at the
Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival and Santa Fe Music Festival. Special
projects comprise a number of featured performances with dance companies,
including Lar Lubovitch, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and the Richmond Ballet.
Jessica Lee had the great honor of performing as soloist last year with the
Malaysia Festival Orchestra for the gala birthday celebration of the Sultan of
Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Her 2006 concerto debut at Alice Tully Hall,
performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony,
was broadcast twice on WQXR-FM. Commenting on an April 2007 performance of The
Lark Ascending with the Richmond Symphony, her hometown orchestra, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch said: “Her performance was flawless.”
Other recent recital highlights include Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall on
the CAG/Winners Series, as well as recitals at the Phillips Collection in
Washington, DC, Caramoor Festival in New York, Asociacion National de
Conciertos in Panama and Purdue University. Her recital for the Chamber Music
Society of Little Rock was selected by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette as one of
the “Top Ten Classical Concerts of 2007.”
An active chamber musician, Jessica Lee became a member of the Johannes String
Quartet in 2006, which toured with the legendary Guarneri String Quartet in its
farewell season. She joined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS 2
program in the 2009-10 season and makes numerous appearances at Alice Tully
Hall and the Rose Studio. Jessica was also featured at the Seoul Spring
Festival in Seoul, Korea and performed at venues such as the Seoul Arts Center,
Sejong Arts Center, and at the home of former President Bosun Yun. She has
toured frequently with ‘Musicians from Marlboro,’ including appearances at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston’s Gardner Museum, and is a member of the
conductor-less string ensemble ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra), with which
she has performed at Town Hall and the Kennedy Center.
Ms. Lee has also appeared on the Concerti di Mezzogiorno Recital Series at the
Spoleto Festival in Italy, the Festival de Musica de Camera in Lima, Peru and
New York’s FOCUS! Festival. She has performed as guest soloist with such
orchestras as the American Chamber Orchestra, the New Amsterdam Symphony
Orchestra, Richmond Symphony, Hampton Youth Symphony, and the New York String
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. She has been a participant at the Ravinia
Festival’s Steans Institute for Young Artists as well as at the Marlboro Music
Festival in Vermont.
A native of Virginia, Jessica Lee began playing the violin at age three and
quickly captured national attention with a feature article in LIFE magazine.
Following studies with Weigang Li of the Shanghai Quartet, she was accepted to
the Curtis Institute of Music at age fourteen and graduated with a Bachelor’s
Degree under the tutelage of Robert Mann and Ida Kavafian. In May 2003, she
completed her studies with Robert Mann for a Master of Music Degree at the
Juilliard School and currently resides in New York.
