Jon Lee

Bio

Known for his dynamic and expressive playing, pianist Jon Lee has performed as soloist and chamber musician across North America and Europe, bringing his artistry to renowned venues such as Symphony Hall in Boston, Fort Worth’s Bass Hall, Salle Cortot in Paris, Calgary’s Jack Singer Hall, Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, and Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts. As a soloist, Jon has performed with the Fort Worth Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Utah Symphony.

Jon is the recipient of numerous accolades, including first prize at the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the San Diego International Piano Competition. His performances at the Washington International Piano Artists Competition earned him multiple honors, including the top prize, audience favorite, and best Liszt interpretation. At the Boston International Piano Competition, Jon secured second place, the audience prize, and the best Baroque interpretation. Additionally, he took home the gold medal and several other prizes at the Seattle International Piano Competition.

Recent festival appearances including PianoTexas, the Sicily International Piano Festival, AIM Paris, and the Vivace! International Music Festival, where he worked with esteemed pedagogues Jerome Lowenthal, Leon Fleisher, Boris Slutsky, and Russell Sherman.

Beyond his solo work, Jon is an active chamber musician, performing in distinguished series like San Francisco’s Noontime Concerts, the Spectrum Chamber Music Society in Fort Worth, Texas, the Benicia Chamber Players, Groupmuse, and the popular Flower Piano festival in the San Francisco Botanical Garden.

Jon’s interest in new music led to the Untitled Bagatelle Project, where he commissioned new solo piano pieces modeled on Beethoven’s Six Bagatelles Op. 126.

In addition to his musical pursuits, Jon serves as Operations Director for the Hawaiʻi Chamber Music Festival and Digital Operations Director for the Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival, drawing on his background in software engineering and management to modernize digital and marketing strategies for arts organizations. He also developed MusicPodium, an iPad app designed to make score reading more accessible and portable.

Born in Wisconsin and raised in Utah, Jon is pursuing an Artist Diploma in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music under the mentorship of Professor Yoshikazu Nagai. He previously completed the Professional Studies Certificate in Keyboard Performance at SFCM and holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Curriculum Vitae

A condensed CV is available online and as a PDF document. Please inquire by email for a complete version.

Repertoire

Solo

Baroque

Classical

Romantic

Impressionist

Twentieth Century

Concerto

Collaborative

Sonatas

Duos

Chamber

Classical

Romantic

Impressionist

Twentieth Century

Sample Programs

Solo

Half program (33m)

  • Handel, Keyboard Suite no. 2 in F major, HWV 427 (8m)
    • Adagio
    • Allegro
    • Adagio
    • Allegro
  • Schumann, Toccata, op. 7 (7m)
  • Schubert/Liszt, Gretchen am Spinnrade (4m)
  • Chopin, Etude in F major, op. 10 no. 8 (3m)
  • Scriabin, Sonata no. 2 in g minor, op. 19 “Sonata-Fantaisie” (11m)
    • Andante
    • Presto

Half program (29m)

  • Scarlatti, Sonata in D major K. 9 (4m)
  • Scarlatti, Sonata in d minor K. 435 (4m)
  • Schubert, Impromptu in B major, op. 142 no. 3 (10m)
  • Chopin, Scherzo no. 2 in b minor, op. 31 (11m)

Full program (75m)

  • Bach, Partita no. 1 in B major, BWV 825 (17m)
    • Praeludium
    • Allemande
    • Corrente
    • Sarabande
    • Menuet I
    • Menuet II
    • Giga
  • Beethoven, Sonata no. 11 in B major, op. 22 (24m)
    • Allegro con brio
    • Adagio con molta espressione
    • Minuetto
    • Rondo. Allegretto
  • Scriabin, Prelude in B major, op. 16 no. 1 (2m)
  • Liszt, Mephisto Waltz no. 1, S. 514 (12m)
  • Prokofiev, Sonata no. 7 in B major, op. 83 (20m)
    • Allegro inquieto
    • Andante caloroso
    • Precipitato

Full program (72m)

  • Beethoven, Six Bagatelles, op. 126 (20m)
    • Andante con moto
    • Allegro
    • Andante
    • Presto
    • Quasi allegretto
    • Presto — Andante amabile e con moto
  • Schubert, Sonata in A major, op. 120 (17m)
    • Allegro moderato
    • Andante
    • Allegro
  • Bach/Rachmaninov, Violin Partita no. 3 in E major for piano (8m)
    • Preludio
    • Gavotte
    • Gigue
  • Chopin, Sonata no. 3 in b minor, op. 58 (27m)
    • Allegro maestoso
    • Scherzo: Molto vivace
    • Largo
    • Finale: Presto non tanto

Collaborative

Full program (57m)

  • Beethoven, Violin Sonata no. 4 in a minor, op. 23 (22m)
  • Ravel, Violin Sonata no. 1, M. 12 “Sonate posthume” (13m)
  • Brahms, Violin Sonata no. 3 in d minor, op. 108 (22m)

Chamber

Full program (55m)

  • Debussy, Piano Trio (22m)
  • Pärt, Mozart-Adagio (7m)
  • Mendelssohn, Piano Trio no. 2 in c minor, op. 66 (26m)

Full program (47m)

  • Corea, Addendum (5m)
  • Jalbert, Piano Trio no. 1 (15m)
  • Ravel, Piano Trio (27m)

Full program (48m)
“A trio sampler”

  • Haydn, Allegro (first movement) from Trio in C major, Hob. XV:27 (8m)
  • Coleridge-Taylor, Selections from Five Negro Melodies for piano trio, op. 59 no. 1 (8m)
    • Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
    • I Was Way Down A-Yonder
  • Beethoven, Menuetto: Quasi Allegro (third movement) from Trio in C minor, op. 1 no. 3 (4m)
  • Glass, Head-On (5m)
  • Brahms, Andante con moto (second movement) from Trio in C major, op. 87 (8m)
  • Pärt, Mozart-Adagio (7m)
  • Schumann, Mit Feuer (fourth movement) from Trio in D major, op. 63 (8m)

Full program (87m)

  • Mozart, Piano Quartet no. 1 in g minor, K. 478 (26m)
    • Allegro
    • Andante
    • Rondo. Allegro
  • Fauré, Piano Quartet no. 1 in c minor, op. 15 (33m)
    • Allegro molto moderato
    • Scherzo. Allegro vivo
    • Adagio
    • Allegro molto
  • Schumann, Piano Quartet in E-flat major, op. 47 (28m)
    • Sostenuto assai — Allegro ma non troppo
    • Scherzo. Molto vivace
    • Andante cantabile
    • Finale. Vivace