"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
- Robert Frost
British cellist Yurie Lee of Japanese and Hong Kong-British descent, is currently based in London. A versatile musician, Yurie enjoys a career as a chamber musician, soloist and orchestral musician, having appeared regularly in some of the world’s leading concert halls throughout Europe, Canada and across the UK.
Recent highlights include a cruise tour of Germany and the Netherlands with duo partner Harry Rylance, ending with a recital at The Concertgebouw, a private Concert at Apsley House for the Duchess of Wellington performing with Clarinetist Patrick Messina. She also performed Julian Anderson's "Sky Piece" for solo cello at the Wigmore Hall in collaboration with the Nash Ensemble.
This season, she will be making several appearance at the Aldeburgh Festival 2022, with the Knussen Chamber Orchestra with Lawrence Power under the baton of Ryan Wigglesworth, with Trio Mazzolini performing works by Haydn, Schoenberg, Tom Coult and Rebecca Clarke, and also a recital with Soprano Katy Thompson.
Yurie has performed in prestigious venues across the Globe, including the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, the Glenn Gould Concert Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Salzburg Mozarteum, Casa da Música in Porto, the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican Centre.
Yurie was a member of the Kirkman Quartet from 2016-2019, a string quartet with whom she gave recitals in some of the most distinguished venues across the country including Bristol Beacon, formerly known as Colston Hall. They held a place on the Royal Academy of Music’s ASSET Scheme, an intensive chamber music training programme, for three years under the guidance of Levon Chilingirian and won 1st Prize at the Wolfe Wolfinsohn String Quartet Prize in 2017. Notable performances of theirs include recitals at Eaton Square as winners of the St Peter’s Eaton Square Fellowship, performing as the on-stage sextet in Strauss’ Capriccio at Garsington Opera, a concert tour of Porto, Portugal and holding the position of Quartet in Residence at the Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival in 2019.
In late 2019, Yurie co-founded Trio Mazzolini together with violinist Jack Greed and pianist Harry Rylance. Within three weeks of playing together, they travelled to Toronto, Canada to give performances around the city including a live broadcast of Weinberg Piano Trio Op.24 for CBC Radio at the Glenn Gould Studio. Together they have been invited to festivals such as the North York Moors Chamber Music, Petworth, Lichfield and Folkestone New Music. The Trio are currently Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music and Britten Pears Young Artists.
An experienced orchestral player, Yurie regularly freelances with the Knussen Chamber Orchestra, Fantasia Orchestra and Fidelio Orchestra. Whilst studying at the Royal Academy of Music she performed as Principal cellist with the Symphony Orchestra and has worked with the likes of Sir Mark Elder, Jac van Steen, Edward Gardner and Marin Alsop. In 2020, Yurie held a place on the Royal Ballet Sinfonia Birmingham Side-by-Side Scheme. Other past external engagements include performances at the Tête-à-Tête Opera Festival premiering “Love Me To Death” by Tom Randle, W11 Opera premiering “Eliza & the Swans” by John Barber, recording the soundtrack to BACCES Robin Hood Pantomime with the London Symphony Orchestra and recording with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for the BBC’s Ten Pieces Project.
Born in 1997, Yurie began playing the cello at the age of five and was accepted to The Royal Academy of Music’s Primary and Junior Departments with a Scholarship. There she studied with Lara Moore, Bozidar Vukotic and Heather Harrison respectively. In 2019, Yurie completed her Bachelor of Music with First Class Honours at the Royal Academy of Music studying with Jo Cole. She continued her studies there under the guidance of Nadege Rochat and graduated with a Distinction for her Master of Arts Degree and was also awarded a Diploma (DipRAM) for an outstanding final recital.
As well as performing, Yurie is passionate about bringing music to as many children as possible through teaching. She is currently a cello teacher of the Primary Department of the Royal Academy of Music and also at Wetherby Senior School where she runs the Cello ensemble and String ensemble.
Yurie plays on a Betts Panormo cello c.1800 which is kindly on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.