As the first prize winner of the Seoul International piano competition, the Diablo Symphony Orchestra’s Yen Liang Young Artist piano concerto competition, and the New Albany Symphony Orchestra’s young artist piano concerto competition, pianist Soo Ji Lee is recognized and acclaimed internationally as a “pianist with extreme virtuosity and fire with supreme musicality.”

Soo Ji Lee started her musical career at the age of twelve, where she won her first competition and made her concert debut at the Seoul International Piano Competition. She then relocated to Canada to study at the Victoria Conservatory of Music under with renowned concert pianists, May Ling Kwok and Dr. Yoomi Kim. While there, Lee achieved top awards at the Greater Victoria Performing Art Festival, the most artistically well-known piano competition in Victoria, Canada, and was selected to represent the city in the Vancouver Provincial Competition in 2011. Since then Soo Ji has been invited to perform at various concert venues including the Wood Hall, the Phillip T. Young Hall, Mixon Hall, Kulas Hall, and Carnegie Hall where she entertained and received high accolades from the audience.  

Over the past fifteen years, Lee has delighted and entertained in international competitions and is the recipient of many awards and scholarships. In 2016, as a result of winning first prize in the New Albany Symphony’s Young Artist Concerto Competition as well as the Diablo Symphony’s Yen Liang Young Artist Competition, she performed Liszt’s Totentanz with both orchestras as a featured pianist. Additionally, Lee recently won the first prizes at the 2021 Canadian International Music Competition and 2021 London Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition and is scheduled to perform a solo recital in London during 2021-2022 season. She has performed frequently in Canada, South Korea, and the United States as a concert pianist, soloist with orchestra, chamber musician and master class artist.

Soo Ji received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with honors and Minor in Dalcroze Eurhythmics from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied under world-renowned pianists Antonio Pompa-Baldi and Emanuela Friscioni. Through her studies at the Peabody Conservatory, Lee completed the Master of Music and Graduate Performance Diploma in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy with master pedagogue, Benjamin Pasternack. Soo Ji is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts in Piano Performance.