Sun Young Lee

Pianist Sun Young Lee, known for her rich sense of color and delicate expressiveness, graduated at the top of her class from Sunhwa Arts High School, where she won the Sunhwa Grand Prize. She was then admitted with distinction to the Department of Instrumental Music at the College of Music, Seoul National University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree with distinction. After moving to the United States to further her musical studies, she was accepted to the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, on a full scholarship, where she earned both a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. While at Eastman, she received the Thelma Rawcliffe Scholarship, the Edith Babcock Scholarship, the Teaching Assistant Award, the Department Assistant Award, and the Graduate Award.

As a performer with both solid technique and delicate sensibility, Sun Young Lee demonstrated her talent early on. She won second prize at the Korea-Germany Brahms Society Competition and the Eumyeon Competition and went on to prove her skills by winning numerous other competitions, including first prize at the Korea-US Competition, the GMI Major Competition, and the Moulin International Competition in France.

Having honored her skills as a soloist, she was selected as a Kumho Young Artist and gave a solo recital at Kumho Art Hall in South Korea. She also participated in the Moulin Music Festival in France, performing in the Concert Night series and in an invited piano recital, and presented three solo recitals at the Alfred Miller Performing Arts Center in New York, USA, receiving enthusiastic responses from audiences. In addition, she has solidified her position as a professional performer through various solo and ensemble concerts, including a performance of Monologue for Piano hosted by the Ieum Center, and appearances at the Eastman Players – University of Rochester Year-End Concert held at the Seoul Arts Center’s IBK Chamber Hall and Recital Hall in South Korea. Dr. Lee has also remained consistently dedicated to sharing her talents through music, including giving solo and chamber music tours across New York State, USA, for several years to raise funds for the NYBC, and participating in the Sharing the Heart Concert with the Hana Ensemble in South Korea.

After returning to Korea, Sun Young Lee began with a solo recital as part of the Ceramic Palace Hall Monday Concert Series, followed by the Abel Trio Project Concert, the 2022 Eastman Players, the Abel Chamber Project Ensemble Concert 2 and regular concerts, the 2023 AIPAF Best Young Pianist Invitational Concert, and the Harmony in Romance concert, showcasing her versatility as both a soloist and an accompanist. Dr. Lee also continues to perform passionately on numerous chamber music stages, including three times of house concerts with Announcer Geumhee Lee, performances with Abel Chamber, the Weekly Classic Festival, and as an accompanist for Yuri Kang’s solo violin recital.

Pianist Sun Young Lee, who studied abroad with Professor Natalya Antonova and in Korea with Professors HaeSun Paik and Mi Kyung Kim, has served as a teaching assistant at the Académie Internationale Moulin d’Andé in France, music director of Faith United Methodist Church in Rochester and conductor of First Mission Methodist Church in the US. She has also taught at Falls View Academy in New York, USA, Sunhwa Arts High School, Kaywon Middle School of Arts, and Chongshin University in South Korea. Dr. Lee currently teaches at the University of Seoul, Myongji University, and Seoul Theological University. As a member of Abel Chamber and starting in September 2025, as a resident pianist at Studio Bârâʼ, she plans to continue her career as a performer by organizing solo and chamber music projects.