The LA Chamber Orchestra Announces New Principal Violist

Soon to join the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), Yura Lee is a well-known soloist and chamber musician on the violin as well as the viola, and has played both instruments to a high level throughout her career.

Lee first found success at the age of twelve, when she won the Debut Artist of the Year prize at NPR's Performance Today awards. Since then she has also received a sought-after Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as winning multiple international competitions.

Lee has appeared as a soloist with many of the top orchestras in the United States, including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Alongside her solo work, she finds plenty of time for chamber music, and is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as well as the Boston Chamber Music Society.

Lee is also an outstanding pedagogue, and currently holds an Associate Professorship of Practice in the USC Thornton School of Music's Strings Department.

"The depth, breadth, versatility and sensitivity of Yura Lee’s artistry, the purity of her tone, her collaborative spirit, and exceptional leadership will contribute greatly to the Orchestra’s distinctive sound and character," said the LACO's Music Director Jaime Martín. "LACO’s artists are celebrated for their musical virtuosity and individuality, qualities Yura notably embodies as well."

"With the appointment of Yura Lee, Jaime Martín continues to build upon LACO’s reputation for attracting to its ranks preeminent world-class musicians who collaboratively shape its power, precision and charisma," said the orchestra's Executive Director Ben Cadwallader.