2012-2013 Guest Artist

James Lee, Cello

James Lee was born in the San Francisco Bay Area where he made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony at the age of 15. He received his bachelor's degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and his master's degree from the Juilliard School. That year he became a member of the National Symphony Orchestra. At Juilliard, Lee served as principal of both the Juilliard Orchestra and the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra. As the winner of the prestigious Juilliard Cello Competition, he was a featured soloist at Alice Tully Hall. Lee's teachers have included Margaret Rowell, Bonnie Hampton, Leonard Rose, and Joel Krosnick. Lee appeared as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra in the 1988 world premiere of Andreas Makris's Concertante under the baton of Mstislav Rostropovich. In the 2010-2011 season, Lee was a featured soloist with the National Symphony at Wolf Trap under the baton of Tan Dun performing his Crouching Tiger Cello Concerto. A devoted chamber musician, Lee is the artistic director and founder of the National Chamber Players at Episcopal High School. Lee is also a member of 4inCorrespondence. Lee's cello is made by Claude Guillot, Bordeaux, 1842.