Joanna Lee

Violin Session 2
Dr. Joanna Lee

Dr. Joanna Lee has performed extensively across Korea, Japan, China, Europe, and the United States in prestigious venues such as the KKL in Lucerne, the JT Art Hall in Tokyo, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. She has appeared as a soloist with the Suwon Symphony and has been invited to renowned festivals, including the Verbier Festival, the La Jolla Music Society, the Kuhmo Festival, and the Mozarteum Summer Academy. A winner of numerous competitions, Dr. Lee holds first prizes from the Padova International Competition, the Korea Times Competition, the Utah Chamber Music Competition, and the Beverly Hills Consortium. She has also been awarded notable scholarships, including the Colburn Foundation Scholarship and the Fritz-Gerber Scholarship.

Born into a musical family, Dr. Lee began playing the violin at the age of six. She studied at the University of Music in Basel, Switzerland, and the University of Vienna, graduating with distinction under the tutelage of Adelina Oprean and Dora Schwarzberg. She later earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California (Phi Kappa Lambda), where she studied with Margaret Batjer on a full scholarship. Her areas of concentration included sacred music, jazz, and baroque violin.

As both a chamber and orchestral musician, Dr. Lee is active in Los Angeles and on international stages. She is a founding member of the Los Angeles Ensemble, which has won top prizes at the International Music Competition Grand Prize Virtuoso in London and the Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China. Additionally, she has served as the principal second violinist for the Redlands Symphony and as an acting section violinist with the San Diego Symphony.

A dedicated educator, Dr. Lee has previously served as a Visiting Lecturer at Scripps College and continues to excel as both a performer and teacher. She is currently a member of Pacific Symphony and serves on the faculty of the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts.