Earl Lee
Winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee has emerged as one of the most compelling and versatile artists of his generation. He has led many of the world’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. In August 2025, Lee stepped in on short notice to replace Zubin Mehta in the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Tanglewood, where The Boston Globe praised his interpretation as “an unhurried, momentous ritual … the finale nothing short of spectacular.”
In the 2025–26 season, Lee’s engagements include return appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as debuts with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a special project with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
As Music Director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Lee has revitalized the ensemble’s artistic vision with programming that bridges tradition and innovation. His leadership blends a deep respect for the symphonic canon with a curiosity for new and diverse forms of expression, bringing a fresh sense of energy and purpose to the orchestra’s seasons. Under his direction, the Ann Arbor Symphony has presented bold repertoire alongside genre-crossing collaborations with artists such as Jacob Collier and Chris Thile, broadening the ensemble’s reach and musical scope. Beyond Ann Arbor, Lee has worked with many composers including Unsuk Chin, Tod Machover, Donghoon Shin, Katherine Balch, and Carlos Simon, conducting works by these leading voices of our time and giving world premieres of new compositions by Machover and Balch. Through these collaborations, he continues to champion music that expands the expressive range of the modern orchestra.
Lee has been mentored by Andris Nelsons, Manfred Honeck, Hugh Wolff, Peter Oundjian, Kurt Masur, and Bernard Haitink. At Masur’s invitation, he studied privately with him in Leipzig, focusing on the life and music of Felix Mendelssohn — an experience that profoundly shaped his artistic identity.
A former cellist trained at the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and the Marlboro Music Festival, Lee brings a chamber musician’s sense of communication, listening, and shared purpose to every performance, seeking to create music that is both unified and deeply expressive.
Bénédicte Lauzière
Described as “beautiful to watch and breathtaking to hear” by the Guelph Mercury, violinist Bénédicte Lauzière leads a prolific career on the Canadian stage. She is concertmaster of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, with which she regularly appears as soloist. Ms Lauzière is an avid chamber musician, her recent collaborations including Emanuel Ax , Mark Fewer, and members of the Penderecki String Quartet.
As a recitalist, she enjoys a wonderful partnership with pianist Angela Park. She has won numerous prizes and awards including the Prix d’Europe 2014, the Michael-Measures Award 2011, the Peter Mendell Prize 2010 as well as a grant for professional musicians from the Canada Council for the Arts. Ms Lauzière was a laureate of the Stulberg International String Competition in 2010 and won several first prizes at the Canadian Music Competition.
As a soloist, her recent performances include Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending (2025), Chausson’s Poème op. 25 (2023), Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto op. 35 in d major (2023), Barber’s Violin Concerto op.14 (2018), Beethoven’s Triple Concerto (2018) with pianist Stewart Goodyear and cellist John Helmers, Korngold’s Concerto op. 35 in d major (2016) and Ravel’s Tzigane (2016). She has been featured in leadership roles as guest concertmaster and soloist with the Kingston Symphony Orchestra, as guest concertmaster of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Elora Festival, and as soloist with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.
Bénédicte obtained her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York City in May 2014, where she studied with Masao Kawasaki with the support of the Karl H. Kraeuter, H. & E. Kivekas and Starr scholarships. She has performed both at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. She completed a Bachelor of Music degree from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in 2012, where she studied with Jonathan Crow as recipient of the Lloyd Carr-Harris scholarship.
