Seunghee Lee is a Grammy®-nominated clarinetist, celebrated for her artistry and versatility as a soloist, recording artist, and music entrepreneur. Based in New York City, Ms. Lee was recently nominated for a Grammy® for her album Aspire, which she recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. Her solo albums have been spotlighted globally, earning titles such as “CD of the Week” from Classic FM Nederland, Singapore’s Symphony 92.4, and Fine Music Radio in South Africa. Following the release of her debut album Brava, she was named one of KDFC Classical Radio San Francisco’s “Top 30 Classical Stars Under 30.”
Ms. Lee has earned acclaim as “an uncompromising soloist, destined to be an upcoming contender of top stature” (Clarinet Magazine). As a soloist, she performed with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Reno Philharmonic, Metropolitan Symphony of Minneapolis, Hungary’s Gyor Symphonic Orchestra, and Italy’s Orchestra “A. Vivaldi” di Valle Camonica and Orchestra Filarmonica di Benevento. She has graced iconic stages such as the Chicago Cultural Center, for the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series, and Carnegie Hall.
Her achievements include First Prize at the International Clarinet Association Competition, as well as winning the Saint Louis Symphony Young Artist Competition under Leonard Slatkin’s adjudication, the Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition and the Yale Woolsey Hall Concerto Competition. In 1990, she was one of only three American clarinetists selected to represent the United States on the historic American-Soviet Youth Orchestra World Tour, led by Leonard Slatkin and featuring violinist Joshua Bell.
Beyond her performance career, Ms. Lee is the founder of Musica Solis, an independent classical record label and sheet music publisher based in New York City. She serves on the Board of Concert Artists Guild and on the Global Council of Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Passionate about fostering the next generation of musicians, she mentors emerging artists through her artist consulting initiative, empowering them to navigate the industry as entrepreneurial leaders. Her expertise in music entrepreneurship has led to guest lectures at institutions such as Harvard Business School, the Yale School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Seoul National University, and Juilliard Pre-College. Her signature lecture series, You Are the Company, inspires musicians to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset.
Ms. Lee holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied with Charles Neidich, and a Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music, where she studied with David Shifrin.
Adding another dimension to her multifaceted career, Ms. Lee is a skilled golfer known as “Sunny Kang” in the golf world. She has been featured in Hong Kong Golfer Magazine and delivered a TEDx Hong Kong talk exploring the parallels between golf and classical music, particularly the\ challenges of a perfectionistic mindset in both endeavors.
