Gabriel Lee
Singaporean violinist Gabriel Lee is a multi-faceted musician: he performs early music with his baroque violin, crossover music with his instrumental band the Lorong Boys and other fusion groups, and fresh interpretations of the classical canon on his modern violin. His playing has been described as having a “breathtaking intensity, grabbing listeners by the lapels without letting go”, and “a passion and concentration that was hard to surpass” (The Straits Times).
An active soloist in the classical scene, Gabriel has performed solo recitals in the United States, Singapore, Malaysia and Myanmar, and has been featured as a soloist with the Baltimore Baroque Band, Red Dot Baroque, Resound Collective, Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Music Makers, Malaysian Bach Festival, Jakarta Festival Orchestra, PSPA International Ensemble, Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra and the Peabody Conductors Orchestra. Gabriel is sought after as an orchestral musician and concertmaster, having won a first violin position with the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and freelanced professionally with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Guiyang Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Festival Orchestra and the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. Gabriel's teachers have included Qing Li, Victor Danchenko, Ng Yu-Ying, Alexander Souptel, Chan Yoong Han and Zhang Zhen Shan.
As a baroque violinist, Gabriel has performed solo with Enrico Onofri and the Resound Collective, Baltimore Baroque Band, Red Dot Baroque, Malaysia Bach Festival and the Jakarta Festival Orchestra. He has also performed in the Wilmington Bach Festival, Amherst Early Music Festival, Music at St. Bartholomew’s series, and collaborated with UMBC’s Camerata Chamber Choir. He studied with Risa Browder and played in masterclasses with Lucy van Dael, Ryo Terakado, Julie Andrijeski and Emlyn Ngai.
As a music educator, Gabriel constantly seeks to innovate and incorporate technology in his teaching, and has presented research at the ABRSM Music Teacher’s Conference and the Performer’s Present International Artistic Research Symposium. He is currently Artist Faculty at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Adjunct Faculty at the School of the Arts, Founder and Director of the Music Society of Myanmar and has conducted masterclasses and coached various ensembles in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia. As a competition adjudicator, Gabriel has served on the jury of the Alessandro Giuliani Violin Competition and Asia Arts Festival. He also serves as a Leader-Mentor for the Orchestra of the Music Makers, and has served as violin mentor for the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.
Gabriel has received various awards and scholarships, including the JC Van Hulsteyn Award in Violin, the Gold Award at the 6th Asian Youth Music Competition and the Paul Abisheganaden Grant for Artistic Excellence. He graduated with two Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance and Baroque Violin Performance from the Peabody Conservatory, supported by a full scholarship from YSTCM and the Trailblazer Foundation. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Hons) degree from YSTCM as Valedictorian of his cohort.
Gabriel plays on a 1902 Degani on loan from the Rin Collection.