CelloJohn Lee

Korean-American cellist John Lee joined the San Diego Symphony in 2022 upon graduation from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Peter Wiley, Gary Hoffman and Carter Brey.

In recent years, Mr. Lee has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and Symphony in C. He served as principal cellist of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in the 2021-22 season and was named a Karl Zeise Memorial Scholarship recipient as a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center in 2018.

As a chamber musician, he has performed throughout the states, most recently as a part of Curtis on Tour in Nantucket and the Kingston Chamber Music Festival. He has shared the stage with Roberto Diaz, Gabriel Kovach, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Benjamin Schmid and David Shifrin.

Mr. Lee has appeared in venues including Alice Tully Hall, the Morgan Library, Carnegie-Weill Hall and the National Gallery of Art, and has given recitals in the Netherlands, South Korea and Canada. During his summers, Mr. Lee participated in the Tanglewood Music Festival, Crested Butte Music Festival, Academie Internationale de Courchevel, Orford Music Festival, Great Mountains Music Festival and the International Holland Music Sessions.

Prior to his time at Curtis, John Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in History of Science and Statistics at Harvard University and a Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory, as part of the five-year dual-degree program. His other principal teachers are Laurence Lesser, Minhye-Clara Kim and Ella Toovy.