Bio
Known for his dynamic and expressive playing, pianist Jon Lee has built an international reputation through his commanding presence as a soloist and competition prizewinner. A first-prize laureate at the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the San Diego International Piano Competition, he has also earned top honors at the Washington International Piano Artists Competition. His concerto and recital appearances have taken him to Symphony Hall in Boston, Bass Hall in Fort Worth, Salle Cortot in Paris, Jack Singer Hall in Calgary, Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, with orchestral collaborations including the Fort Worth Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Utah Symphony.
Chamber music stands equally at the heart of Jon’s artistry. As a founding member of the Ethea Trio, he has performed across the Bay Area at Noontime Concerts, the UCSF Chancellor’s Concert Series, and Groupmuse. He is a frequent collaborator with leading artists including Kim Kashkashian, Clive Greensmith, the Telegraph Quartet, Jonathan Vinocour, Stella Chen, and Nicholas Phan. He is finishing his Artist Diploma in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Yoshikazu Nagai.
Recent festival appearances include PianoTexas, Sicily International Piano Festival, AIM Paris, and Vivace! International Music Festival. Throughout his career he has worked with distinguished artists such as Jerome Lowenthal, Boris Slutsky, Leon Fleisher, and Russell Sherman.
Beyond performance, Jon is dedicated to shaping the future of classical music through innovation and collaboration. He created the website jazzpianists.org, commissioned contemporary works modeled on Beethoven’s Op. 126 Bagatelles, and developed MusicPodium, an iPad app that streamlines digital score reading. His passion for supporting artists also extends to arts leadership, where he serves as a director for the Hawaiʻi Chamber Music Festival and is a founder of SF Chamber Sessions, which brings chamber music to street-level audiences in San Francisco. Originally from Wisconsin and raised in Utah, Jon is a graduate of MIT in Computer Science and a former engineering manager at Apple.
Concert bio ( words)
Known for his dynamic and expressive playing, pianist Jon Lee has built an international reputation through his commanding presence as a soloist and competition prizewinner. A first-prize laureate at the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the San Diego International Piano Competition, he has also earned top honors at the Washington International Piano Artists Competition. His concerto and recital appearances have taken him to Symphony Hall in Boston, Bass Hall in Fort Worth, Salle Cortot in Paris, Jack Singer Hall in Calgary, Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City, Benaroya Hall in Seattle, and the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, with orchestral collaborations including the Fort Worth Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Utah Symphony.
Chamber music stands equally at the heart of Jon’s artistry. As a founding member of the Ethea Trio, he has performed across the Bay Area at Noontime Concerts, the UCSF Chancellor’s Concert Series, and Groupmuse. He is a frequent collaborator with leading artists including Kim Kashkashian, Clive Greensmith, the Telegraph Quartet, Jonathan Vinocour, Stella Chen, and Nicholas Phan. He is finishing his Artist Diploma in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Yoshikazu Nagai.
Recent festival appearances include PianoTexas, Sicily International Piano Festival, AIM Paris, and Vivace! International Music Festival. Throughout his career he has worked with distinguished artists such as Jerome Lowenthal, Boris Slutsky, Leon Fleisher, and Russell Sherman.
Beyond performance, Jon is dedicated to shaping the future of classical music through innovation and collaboration. He created the website jazzpianists.org, commissioned contemporary works modeled on Beethoven’s Op. 126 Bagatelles, and developed MusicPodium, an iPad app that streamlines digital score reading. His passion for supporting artists also extends to arts leadership, where he serves as a director for the Hawaiʻi Chamber Music Festival and is a founder of SF Chamber Sessions, which brings chamber music to street-level audiences in San Francisco. Originally from Wisconsin and raised in Utah, Jon is a graduate of MIT in Computer Science and a former engineering manager at Apple.
Short bio ( words)
Known for his dynamic and expressive playing, pianist Jon Lee is a first-prize laureate at the Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition and the San Diego International Piano Competition, and has also earned top honors at the Washington International Piano Artists Competition. His concerto and recital appearances have taken him to Symphony Hall in Boston, Bass Hall in Fort Worth, Salle Cortot in Paris, and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, with orchestral collaborations including the Fort Worth Symphony, Boston Pops Orchestra, and Utah Symphony.
Chamber music stands equally at the heart of Jon’s artistry. As a founding member of the Ethea Trio, he has performed at Noontime Concerts and the UCSF Chancellor’s Concert Series, and collaborated with artists including Kim Kashkashian, the Telegraph Quartet, and Nicholas Phan. He is finishing his Artist Diploma in Chamber Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, studying with Yoshikazu Nagai.
Beyond performance, Jon serves as a director for the Hawaiʻi Chamber Music Festival and is a founder of SF Chamber Sessions, which brings chamber music to street-level audiences in San Francisco. He also developed MusicPodium, an iPad app for digital score reading. Originally from Wisconsin and raised in Utah, Jon is a graduate of MIT in Computer Science and a former engineering manager at Apple.
Media and photography are available on the media page.
Curriculum Vitae
A condensed CV is available online and as a PDF document. Please inquire by email for a complete version.
Repertoire
Solo
Baroque
- Johann Sebastian Bach, French Suite no. 5 in G major, BWV 816
- Johann Sebastian Bach, Partita no. 1 in B
♭ major, BWV 825 - Johann Sebastian Bach, Partita no. 4 in D major, BWV 828
- George Frideric Handel, Keyboard Suite no. 2 in F major, HWV 427
- Domenico Scarlatti, Sonatas, K. 9, 435
Classical
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata no. 11 in B
♭ major, op. 22 - Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata no. 14 in c
♯ minor, op. 27 no. 2 “Moonlight” - Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata no. 18 in E
♭ major, op. 31 no. 3 - Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata no. 23 in f minor, op. 57 “Appassionata”
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata no. 30 in E major, op. 109
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata no. 31 in A
♭ major, op. 110 - Ludwig van Beethoven, Six Bagatelles, op. 126
- Joseph Haydn, Sonata no. 13 in G major, Hob. XVI:6
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata no. 5 in G major, K. 283
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata no. 12 in F major, K. 332
Romantic
- Johann Sebastian Bach/Sergei Rachmaninov, Violin Partita no. 3 in E major for piano
- Johann Sebastian Bach/Johannes Brahms, Chaconne in d minor for the left hand
- Johannes Brahms, Ballades, op. 10
- Frédéric Chopin, Etudes, op. 10 and op. 25
- Frédéric Chopin, Nocturne in F
♯ major, op. 15 no. 2 - Frédéric Chopin, Mazurka in a minor, op. 17 no. 4
- Frédéric Chopin, Preludes, op. 28
- Frédéric Chopin, Scherzo no. 2 in b
♭ minor, op. 31 - Frédéric Chopin, Fantaisie in f minor, op. 49
- Frédéric Chopin, Ballade no. 4 in f minor, op. 52
- Frédéric Chopin, Berceuse in D
♭ major, op. 57 - Frédéric Chopin, Sonata no. 3 in b minor, op. 58
- Frédéric Chopin, Barcarolle in F
♯ major, op. 60 - Franz Liszt, Mephisto Waltz no. 1, S. 514
- Francis Poulenc, 3 Novelettes, FP 47/173
- Franz Schubert/Franz Liszt, Gretchen am Spinnrade
- Franz Schubert, Impromptus, op. 142
- Franz Schubert, Sonata in A major, op. 120
- Robert Schumann, Toccata, op. 7
- Robert Schumann, Fantasiestücke, op. 12, Des Abends, Grillen, Fabel
- Robert Schumann, Kinderszenen, op. 15
- Alexander Scriabin, Preludes, op. 16
- Alexander Scriabin, Sonata no. 2 in g
♯ minor, op. 19 “Sonata-Fantaisie”
Impressionist
- Claude Debussy, Deux Arabesques
- Claude Debussy, Suite Bergamasque
- Claude Debussy, Rêverie
- Claude Debussy, Estampes, Jardins sous la pluie
- Claude Debussy, Images I, Reflets dans l’eau
- Gabriel Fauré, Nocturne no. 13 in b minor, op. 119
- Maurice Ravel, Pavane pour une infante défunte
- Maurice Ravel, Sonatine
- Maurice Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin
Twentieth Century
- Samuel Barber, Sonata in e
♭ minor, op. 26 - Béla Bartók, Suite, op. 14
- Sergei Prokofiev, Sonata no. 7 in B
♭ major, op. 83 - Igor Stravinsky, Trois mouvements de Petrouchka, Chez Petrouchka
- Igor Stravinsky/Guido Agosti, L’oiseau de feu
Concerto
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 4 in G major, op. 58
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 5 in E
♭ major, op. 73 “Emperor” - Frédéric Chopin, Piano Concerto no. 2 in f minor, op. 21
- George Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto no. 20 in d minor, K. 466
- Sergei Prokofiev, Piano Concerto no. 1 in D
♭ major, op. 10 - Sergei Prokofiev, Piano Concerto no. 3 in C major, op. 26
- Maurice Ravel, Piano Concerto in G major, M. 83
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto no. 1 in B
♭ major, op. 23
Collaborative
Sonatas
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Cello Sonata no. 3 in A major, op. 69
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata for Pianoforte with Horn (Double Bass) in F major, op. 17
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Violin Sonata no. 1 in D major, op. 12 no. 1
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Violin Sonata no. 4 in a minor, op. 23
- Johannes Brahms, Cello Sonata no. 1 in e minor, op. 38
- Johannes Brahms, Cello Sonata no. 2 in F major, op. 99
- Johannes Brahms, Clarinet Sonata no. 1 in f minor, op. 120 no. 1
- Johannes Brahms, Clarinet Sonata no. 2 in E
♭ major, op. 120 no. 2 - Johannes Brahms, Violin Sonata no. 1 in G major, op. 78
- Johannes Brahms, Violin Sonata no. 3 in d minor, op. 108
- César Franck, Violin (Cello) Sonata in A major
- Paul Hindemith, Viola Sonata no. 1 in F major, op. 11 no. 4
- Leoš Janáček, Violin Sonata
- Maurice Ravel, Violin Sonata no. 1, M. 12 “Sonate posthume”
Duos
- Johannes Brahms, Piano Concerto no. 1 for piano four-hands, op. 15
- Nikolai Kapustin, Nearly Waltz for cello and piano
- Clara Schumann, 3 Romances, op. 22
Chamber
Classical
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Clarinet Trio, op. 11 “Gassenhauer”
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Trio no. 1 in E
♭ major, op. 1 no. 1 - Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Trio no. 5 in D major, op. 70 no. 1 “Ghost”
- Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Trio no. 7 in B
♭ major, op. 97 “Archduke” - Joseph Haydn, Piano Trio in G major, Hob. XV:25 “Gypsy”
- Joseph Haydn, Piano Trio in C major, Hob. XV:27
- Joseph Haydn, Piano Trio in E
♭ major, Hob. XV:30 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Trio in E
♭ major, K. 498 “Kegelstatt” - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Quartet in g minor, K. 478
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Quartet in E
♭ major, K. 493
Romantic
- Johannes Brahms, Clarinet Trio, op. 114
- Johannes Brahms, Piano Quartet no. 2 in A major, op. 26
- Johannes Brahms, Piano Quartet no. 3 in c minor, op. 60
- Johannes Brahms, Piano Trio no. 2 in C major, op. 87
- Antonín Dvořák, Piano Trio no. 3 in f minor, op. 65
- Antonín Dvořák, Piano Trio no. 4 in e minor, op. 90 “Dumky”
- Gabriel Fauré, Piano Quartet no. 1 in c minor, op. 15
- Gabriel Fauré, Piano Quartet no. 2 in g minor, op. 45
- Felix Mendelssohn, Piano Trio no. 1 in d minor, op. 49
- Felix Mendelssohn, Piano Trio no. 2 in c minor, op. 66
- Vitĕzslav Novák, Piano Trio no. 2 in d minor, op. 27 “Quasi una Ballata”
- Dora Pejačević, Piano Trio in C major, op. 29
- Francis Poulenc, Sextet, FP 100
- Franz Schubert, Piano Trio no. 1 in B
♭ major, op. 99, D 898 - Robert Schumann, Piano Trio no. 1 in d minor, op. 63
- Robert Schumann, Piano Trio no. 2 in F major, op. 80
- Robert Schumann, Piano Quartet in E
♭ major, op. 47 - Robert Schumann, Piano Quintet in E
♭ major, op. 44 - Josef Suk, Piano Quintet in g minor, op. 8
Impressionist
- Claude Debussy, Piano Trio (with violin or flute), L. 5
- Maurice Ravel, Piano Trio
Twentieth Century
- Béla Bartók, Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, Sz. 110
- Frank Bridge, Phantasie Piano Quartet in f
♯ minor, H. 94 - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Five Negro Melodies for piano trio, op. 59 no. 1
- Aaron Copland (arr. Michael Tilson Thomas), Appalachian String Suite (version for 13 instruments)
- Chick Corea, Addendum
- Ernő Dohnányi, Sextet, op. 37
- Eric Ewazen, Wildflowers for Flute, Clarinet, and Piano
- George Gershwin (arr. Sebastian Manz), Promenade (Walking the Dog)
- Philip Glass, Head-On
- Pierre Jalbert, Piano Trio no. 1
- Arvo Pärt, Mozart-Adagio
- Astor Piazzolla, Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for piano trio
- Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Trio no. 2 in e minor, op. 67
- Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in g minor, op. 57
- Joaquín Turina, Círculo, op. 91
- Joaquín Turina, Scènes Andalouse, op. 7
- He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, Butterfly Lovers Concerto (for violin and erhu)
Vocal
- Claude Debussy, Ariettes Oublieés, L. 60
- Gabriel Fauré, La Bonne Chanson, op. 61
- Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Three Poems by Fiona MacLeod, op. 11
- Gustav Mahler, Rückert-Lieder
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