About Me
Praised for her “musical integrity” and “warmth” by the La Jolla Light, Korean-American cellist Julia Lee is committed to creating meaningful and authentic connections through music. A prizewinner of the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition, she has also been a finalist of the Susan Barbash J.S. Bach Competition, and most recently competed in the prestigious Naumburg International Cello Competition. She has received the Mary Alice Cox Award and First Prize at the Florida Federation of Music Clubs Competition. As a soloist, she has performed with the Ocala Symphony, Alachua County Symphony, and the University of Florida Chamber Orchestra.
A passionate chamber musician, Julia has performed alongside esteemed artists such as Clive Greensmith, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Catherine Cho, Ara Gregorian, Robert McDonald, Inon Barnatan, Blake Pouliot, Merry Peckham, Julie Albers, Molly Carr, and Bion Tsang at the Four Seasons Chamber Festival, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, Perlman Music Program, and the Music in the Vineyards Festival in Napa Valley. Recent and upcoming performances include her Alice Tully Hall debut with the Edith Quartet as part of Juilliard’s Honors Chamber Music Program, concerts with the Montage Music Society in Santa Fe, outreach performances with Project: Music Heals Us, and an upcoming recital on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts series and The Santa Fe Fine Arts Series. Julia has worked closely with the Takács Quartet in their string quartet seminar and has performed in Juilliard’s ChamberFest. She also served as principal cellist and coordinator of the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra in 2022. Her love of chamber music has taken her to study at festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, Orford Musique, Music Academy of the West, The Perlman Music Program, Kneisel Hall, and Four Seasons.
In orchestral settings, Julia has served as principal cellist of The Juilliard Orchestra for four consecutive years, performing under conductors such as Marin Alsop, Gustavo Dudamel, David Robertson, David Chan, Carlos Miguel Prieto, and Mei-Ann Chen. Her recent performances include a side-by-side concert with the New York Philharmonic, a substitute appearance with the New World Symphony, and principal cello in Juilliard’s 2x4 Kennedy Center collaboration with Jaime Laredo and Jennifer Koh. She served as Teaching Assistant to Eric Bartlett’s Orchestral Repertoire course at Juilliard. This coming fall, Julia-Hyunji will join as faculty of the New York Youth Symphony’s Chamber Music Program, coaching advanced young musicians in collaborative performance and interpretation.
Deeply committed to music’s role in social engagement, Julia heavily involves herself on community-based projects. She regularly collaborates with Molly Carr’s non profit Project: Music Heals Us, leading workshops and performances through the “Music For The Future” branch. She also has collaborated with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s “Reflections” program, bringing interactive performances to individuals living with Alzheimer’s. In her hometown of Gainesville, Florida, she co-founded the Buchholz High School String Orchestra—the school’s first string program—making music education accessible to underserved students.
Julia earned her Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School under the mentorship of Darrett Adkins and a Master of Music with the late Joel Krosnick under a C.V. Starr Scholarship. She is grateful to have been previously mentored by Wendy Warner and Chungsun Kim. Other musical inspirations in her life include Laurence Lesser and Frans Helmerson.