Biography

Kenny Lee is a versatile conductor and cellist whose performances have been praised for his “lyricism, drive, tenderness, and passion” (The Times Argus). Equally at home on the podium and cello, he has appeared as a conductor, soloist, chamber musician, and clinician across North America, Europe, and Asia. He serves as Assistant Professor and Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Iowa, where he leads the university’s orchestral program and mentors graduate and doctoral conductors.

Lee’s recent conducting engagements include performances with the Czech Chamber Philharmonic Pardubice, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Lviv Philharmonic, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Previously, as Director of Orchestras at Western Illinois University, he was recognized for bold and imaginative programming with the WIU Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. His international conducting work has included performances and educational engagements throughout Europe, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, and Denmark.

An active collaborator with composers and contemporary artists, Lee has worked with Andrea Casarrubios, Nicky Sohn, Gabriel Kahane, Jessie Montgomery, and Jeremy Denk. His recording projects appear on Naxos and Klavier Records, with forthcoming releases featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and new works by Casarrubios and Sohn.

As a chamber musician, Lee has collaborated with principal players of the Berlin Philharmonic and members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, Borromeo, and Ying Quartets. His festival appearances include the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Thy Chamber Music Festival in Denmark, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Taos Chamber Music Festival, and Piatigorsky International Cello Festival. He is co-founder and artistic director of the Flatirons Chamber Music Festival in Boulder, Colorado, and a founding member of the Parrish Trio.

As a cellist, Lee has performed at Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, and Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. His concerto repertoire includes works by Dvořák, Haydn, Elgar, and Gulda, and he has appeared as soloist with the Atlanta Sinfonia, Knox-Galesburg Symphony, Eastman Philharmonia, Jordan Winds, and Eugene Symphony. He has also collaborated with conductors including Giancarlo Guerrero, Neil Varon, and William Drury.

Lee has received top honors in competitions including the International Conductors’ Competition, New York International Artists Competition, Hudson Valley String Competition, Borromeo Guest Artist Competition, Eastman Concerto Competition, and New England Conservatory Honors Chamber Music Competition.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Oregon, he began his musical studies at age ten. He studied conducting with Steven Sloane, Catherine Larsen-Maguire, Carl St. Clair, and Charles Peltz, and cello with Laurence Lesser, Paul Katz, Steven Doane, and Steven Pologe. Additional artistic guidance came from Hans Jørgen Jensen, Pieter Wispelwey, Lluís Claret, Ralph Kirshbaum, and Frans Helmerson. He holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the New England Conservatory, where he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees with honors. At Eastman, he received the John Celentano Award for Excellence in Chamber Music.