HAENA LEE, CELLO

An accomplished Canadian cellist, Haena Lee, age 25, was born in Malaysia and began studying the cello at the age of nine after returning to her home country, South Korea. A few years later, she moved to Canada, where she continued her cello studies in Edmonton, Alberta.

In Edmonton, she won numerous scholarships and awards as a soloist, including at the Alberta College Fall Music Festival, the Alberta College Scholarship Competition, and the Edmonton Kiwanis Festival. In 2012, upon the special recommendation of Michael Massey, conductor of the Edmonton Youth Orchestra, Lee made her solo debut with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

To further her musical training, Lee relocated to Calgary, Alberta, in 2012, where she was accepted into the Academy Program for Gifted Youth at Mount Royal University, and later the Advanced Performance Program in 2015. During her time in the Academy, she performed in numerous concerts and participated as a soloist in masterclasses with world-renowned artists such as Frans Helmerson, Colin Carr, and Lynn Harrell, among others. Lee earned multiple awards and scholarships, including an Honourable Mention in the 2015 Frank Simpson Concerto Competition, and performed the first movement of Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D minor with the Calgary Youth Orchestra.

During the summers, she attended prestigious festivals such as Morningside Music Bridge, the Meadowmount School of Music, and the Heifetz International Music Institute. She has also served as principal cellist with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada (2022) and Orchestre de la Francophonie (2023).

Lee holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music in Performance from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music. Most recently, she performed Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D Major with the San Francisco Academy Orchestra while completing her Artist Diploma.