KELLY SOHYOUNG LEE

A Passionate Violinist

A Korean Violinist, Kelly Sohyoung Lee began her studies at the age of 5. At an early age, she studied at the pre-college program in Korea National University of Arts, and won various competitions such as Nanpa Concours, Eumak Journal, and International Youth Music Contest. In 2005, she began her studies in the United States studying with Ik-Hwan Bae, in Indiana University String Academy.

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Kelly’s enthusiasm towards a contemporary music brought her to collaborate with two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee Michael Schelle. In 2012, she premiered a solo violin concerto, Guardian (2011), which was generously commissioned by Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana. Schelle’s two recent compositions, The Illusion of Invincibility (2017) and My Tears Fall Dry (2017) were also written for Kelly and she had premiered both of them in April, 2018 at the Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Most recently, Kelly collaborated with Schelle by premiering, A mysterious night of Norway (2021) at Norges musikkhøgskole as part of her master’s project.

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Throughout her career, Kelly participated in numerous music festivals such as Indiana University Summer String Academy, Litomysl String Master Class, Liandu Festival, Bergen Orchestra Academy, Oslo Chamber Music Festival, and Fjord Classics. She also had her orchestral experiences with Cleveland Women’s Orchestra, Firelands Symphony Orchestra, and Shanghai International Youth Orchestra.

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Kelly graduated from Oberlin Conservatory with Bachelor of Music’17 and Artist Diploma’19 under Milan Vitek’s tutelage. She also recently had her Master’s degree from norges musikkhøgskole studying with Peter Herresthal. Kelly currently plays a violin made by Tschu Ho Lee from Chicago, IL.

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