"Always discover, always search." Episode 21 w/ Sydney Lee

Korean-American cellist Sydney Lee has established herself as an artist of refined elegance and profound sincerity. She garnered recognition when she claimed both 1st prize at the 2022 Washington International Competition and 2nd prize at the 2022 Classic Strings International Competition. Most recently, she was awarded the inaugural $50,000 Gurrena Fellowship from Meadowmount School of Music. Additional accolades include 1st prize at the International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition in Croatia, where she subsequently debuted with the Zagreb Soloists.

Since her solo debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at age 13, Sydney has continued to perform extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia in many of the world’s leading venues, including the Kennedy Center, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center, Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, and Konzerthaus Berlin.

Renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber praised her performance with the Armenian Symphony State Orchestra, “Sydney Lee’s playing of Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante was mesmerizing. She surmounted all of its technical challenges with ease and gave us a joyous musical experience. It was a performance to treasure.”

An ardent devotee of chamber music, Sydney is the founder of the Galvin Cello Quartet, which has rapidly been building an international profile following their silver medal win at the 2021 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Furthermore, they have earned the distinction of joining the Concert Artists Guild roster as winners of the esteemed 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition. The quartet’s upcoming 2023-24 season include performances at New York City’s Merkin Hall, Newport Classical, and Ravinia Music Festival.

Sydney’s dedication to fostering arts education is evident through her active role as a Board of Director, Social Media Manager and Back to Bach Soloist at The Back to Bach Project Charitable Foundation. This global initiative, with over 70 regions and 800 members, seeks to inspire young children through arts education and community engagement, imparting the values of commitment, dedication, and passion. She spearheaded the establishment of the Calgary, Canada, and Delaware County, PA regional chapters. Additionally, one of her notable collaborative achievements at Back to Bach involved a three way collaboration between Play on philly, The Curtis Institute of Music, and The Back to Bach Project under the guidance of violinist Midori. Furthermore, as a Back to Bach Soloist, she has led numerous virtual music education seminars to young audiences all across the United States. Sydney’s unwavering commitment to her philanthropic endeavors led to Back to Bach’s receipt of funding in 2020 from the esteemed U.S. Presidential Scholars Foundation and Alumni Association Seed Grant Program.

Born and raised in New York City, Sydney is an alumna of both The Curtis Institute of Music and Northwestern University, where she studied with Carter Brey, Peter Wiley, and Hans Jorgen Jensen. She is currently pursuing her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Northwestern, continuing her studies under the tutelage of Hans Jorgen Jensen. Throughout her artistic journey, other past influential teachers include Richard Aaron, Jens Peter Maintz, Sophie Shao, Julie Albers, Minhye Clara Kim, Wendy Warner, and mentorship by acclaimed cellist Lynn Harrell.

In her spare time, Sydney served as a Content Assistant for The Violin Channel. Sydney finds joy in the art of crafting captivating lifestyle content through her vlogs, where she unveils the tapestry of her journeys, offering glimpses into her life as a musician, surviving the Chicago winters, and even her exhilarating escapade of maneuvering a dune buggy through the vast expanse of the Dubai desert.