CHI LEE (Assistant Principal viola) joined The Florida Orchestra as associate principal viola in the 2022. Born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, she came to the United States in 2009. Lee received her bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music, her master’s degree from Rice University, and is currently a doctor of musical arts candidate at the University of Maryland. Her principal teachers include Daniel Foster, Lawrence Neuman, Ivo-Jan van der Werff, Karen Ritscher, Kin-Fung Leung and Yung-Chen Chan.
Her performances in international festivals include the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Rendsburg, Germany, the Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme in Aldeburgh, United Kingdom, Bard Music Festival, and Asian Youth Orchestra, where she toured Japan and China. Lee was a fellow of The Orchestra Now from 2016 to 2018, where she regularly performed in Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. She has also served as associate principal violist with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in the 2018-2019 season and performed with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Alabama Symphony Orchestra.
An avid educator, Lee is a certified Suzuki teacher, and she has taught at institutions including Rice University, Bard Conservatory Preparatory Division and University of Maryland, and has given masterclasses in Taiwan. Lee currently lives in St Petersburg, Florida with her husband Paul and two guinea pigs. She enjoys the beach life, baking, hiking, food exploring and traveling in her spare time.