Soo Young Lee

Piano | Chicago, IL

Dr. Soo Young Lee has distinguished herself as a dedicated teacher and a performer who has taught and performed across the United States. Recently, she was awarded, “Artist of the Year” receiving Kewson Chai Prize from Korean American Community Service. Other awards and prizes include The Society of American Musicians, The St. Paul Federation of Music Teachers, and The Chicago Musician Club of Women’s Farwell Award. She has performed at the Preston Bradley Hall, Millennium Park, WFMT FM, San Filippo Estate, and more recently at Universidad Nacional de Musica of Lima, Peru. Dr. Lee has taught piano and chamber music at Midwest Young Artists (MYA), Merit School of Music, Northwestern University’s National High School Music Institute, Bay Chamber Music Festival’s Next Generation Program in Rockport, Maine and at Loyola University. She has recently performed live on WFMT 98.7 FM with Kathleen and Peter Van De Graaf.

Dr. Lee has participated in The Aspen Music Festival, studying under Ann Schein and Herbert Stessin. She also had the honor of performing in the master classes of Claude Frank, Menachem Pressler and Nelita True. She earned her Bachelor of Music with Laurence Davis and Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy with Frances Larimer from Northwestern University. She then received her Doctor of Music with Dr. David Kaiserman, also at Northwestern.

Presently, Dr. Lee teaches piano, chamber music and theory as an artistic faculty at The Music Institute of Chicago and at the MIC Academy. She also is on the piano faculty at Lake Forest College and is also active as the president of The Society of American Musicians. Dr. Lee is a well-respected adjudicator, lecturer and concert director with a diverse background including a live radio host, Soo Young Lee’s Music Salon, for the Chicago Radio Korea.

Dr. Lee is the founder and artistic director of ARK Ensemble since 2007.