�. . . a tone of pure gold" (The Journal Record)
A violinist of dazzling technique and rare sensibility, Sung-Ju Lee has captivated audiences around the world with her "imaginative playing and luminous sound"(Ko�lner Stadt-Anzeiger, Cologne), her "impeccable technique"(II Gazzentina, Venice), and her "taste for the dramatic and unflagging sense of authority"(Los Angeles Times).
Ms. Lee launched her New York career with debut recital presented by Young Concert Artists series in 1977 and was immediately recognized as "a first-rate violinist" by The New York Times. Her list of prizes includes the Ewha-Kyunghyang Concour of Korea at age of 11 and the New York Wieniawski, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth International Competitions.
Her list of accomplishments is impressive, beginning with her appearance as a soloist with the Seoul Philharmonic at the age of 9. In the U.S., she has performed with the orchestras of Saint Louis, Seattle, Baltimore, Florida, Ft. Lauderdale, Duluth, and Roanoke, among numerous others. Around the world, she has played solo with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Taiwan Symphony, KBS Orchestra and Orquestra Sinfonica in Caracas, Venezuela.
Sung-Ju Lee is a graduate of New York's Juilliard School, where she studied with Ivan Galamian, Margaret Pardee and Dorothy DeLay, and won the Fritz Kreisler Fellowship upon graduation. Her other teachers include Felix Galimir, Josef Gingold, Eun Dong Lee and Yong Yun Kim.
In 1994, Sung-Ju Lee was appointed as a professor at the prestigious Korean National University of Arts in Seoul, Korea. After returning to Korea, not only she continues to perform actively in her native country, she became a welcome guest to many appearances throughout Asia and Eastern Europe.
In Korea, some of her highlight performances include guest solo appearances with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra(Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor), the Hungarian State Symphony, the Berliner Symphoniker, and the Busan Philharmonic, the KBS Symphony Orchestra (on regular subscription concerts), the Seoul Philharmonic, the Suwon Philharmonic (on a European tour), and many others. Her other interesting concerts are a nine-city national tour with all-Brahms program; and Joy of Music a 5-concert series in which Ms. Lee's versatility is demonstrated in unaccompanied solo recital, recital with piano, and chamber music. In 2007, she was invited to play chamber music with Martha Argerich. In 2009, Ms. Lee is planning an all day concert of complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas in April at the Kumho Art Hall.
While keeping her busy schedule in Korea, she still actively concertizes around the world. Some of her concerts abroad include a recital in Shanghai Concert Hall in China, a solo with the Moravian Orchestra and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague, the Almati Academic State Symphony in Kazakhstan and the Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra in Bulgaria.
In 1997, Professor Lee has founded a young string ensemble, "Joy of Strings", which now has become the "rising stars of Korea" and actively performing in Korea and abroad. The group recorded their 1st recording in 2006. 'The Classical Modernity' was released by Universal Records, Korea.
Sung-Ju Lee made her recording debut in 1986 with two Schumann Sonatas, released by the Musical Heritage Society. Her compact discs include "Popular Suites and Kreisler" (1992, Musical Heritage Society), and "BACH's Unaccompanied Sonatas & Partitas (1988, Samsung Music). She also released a recording of 'Romantic Short Pieces' (Ales 2) in 2003 and