Cleveland Orchestra Welcomes Jessica Lee as Assistant Concertmaster

The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst announce that Jessica Lee will join the Orchestra as Assistant Concertmaster (Fourth Chair) beginning on August 29, performing in the final week of the 2016 Blossom Music Festival. She will sit in the Orchestra's Clara G. and George P. Bickford Assistant Concertmaster Endowed Chair.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Cleveland Orchestra and becoming a part of an organization with such a long and illustrious history," said Jessica Lee. "I am especially excited to be making music with Franz Welser-Möst and the fantastic artists of the orchestra as well as the guest soloists and conductors who will be joining us during the season. Having visited Cleveland a few times now, my husband and I look forward to becoming Clevelanders, cheering on all the sports teams, regularly visiting the cultural centers, and of course sampling the culinary delights all over the city!"

Jessica Lee, the Grand Prize Winner of the 2005 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, has appeared all over the world, including solo performances with the Pilsen Philharmonic, the Gangnam Symphony at the Seoul Arts Center, in recital at the Rudolfinum in Prague, Czech Republic, and as soloist with the Malaysia Festival Orchestra for the gala birthday celebration of the Sultan of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. She has also appeared with the Houston Symphony and other orchestras across the United States, and has performed in recital at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium and Weill Recital Hall, as well as at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, Caramoor Festival, and Asociacion National de Conciertos in Panama. Summer appearances include performances at the Bridgehampton, Santa Fe, Music@Menlo, Lake Champlain, and Olympic music festivals.

An active chamber musician, Jessica was a long-time member of the Johannes String Quartet, which toured with the legendary Guarneri String Quartet in its farewell season. She was a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two and has made numerous appearances at Alice Tully Hall and the Rose Studio. Ms. Lee has toured frequently with Musicians from Marlboro, including appearances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Boston's Gardner Museum, and is a member of the conductor-less string ensemble ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra), with which she has performed at Town Hall and the Kennedy Center.

A native of Virginia, Jessica Lee began playing the violin at age three and quickly captured national attention with a feature article in LIFE magazine. Following studies with Weigang Li of the Shanghai Quartet, she was accepted to the Curtis Institute of Music at age 14 and earned a bachelor's degree under the tutelage of Robert Mann and Ida Kavafian. Ms. Lee completed her studies with Robert Mann for a master of music degree at the Juilliard School. Prior to joining The Cleveland Orchestra, she was a faculty member at Rutgers University and Vassar College.

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