ÌìÃÀÉçÇø

Dr. Sanghie Lee is an internationally acclaimed pianist whose performances have been praised for their poetic depth, luminous tone, and technical brilliance. She is a prizewinner of numerous international competitions, including the Bronze Medal at the 2019 NTD International Piano Competition and First Prize at the 2015 Liszt–Garrison International Piano Competition, where she also received the Special Award for Best Interpretation of an American Composer’s Work. Additional honors include Second Prize at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition for her performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as invitations to the Alaska e-Piano Competition and the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Bonn, Germany.

Dr. Lee’s artistry has been further recognized through a distinguished list of top prizes in Korea, including the Beethoven Piano Competition of Korea, the Haneum Piano Competition, and the Korea Piano Duo Association Competition. As a featured soloist, she has appeared with orchestras such as the University of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, the University of North Georgia Sinfonietta in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, and the Yonsei University Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

Her international performances span major cities including Seoul, Daejeon, and Daegu in Korea, and Cincinnati, Kalamazoo, Bloomington, New York, San Francisco, and Boston in the United States. Dr. Lee recently completed a multi-city recital tour, performing at Harvard University’s Memorial Church, Carnegie Hall, and the San Francisco Opera House to critical acclaim. Her performances have been described as “breathtaking, combining both technical and musical mastery of the highest level.”

An avid chamber musician, Dr. Lee leads the Piano Trio Canorus, based in Cincinnati, which has received top honors including First Prize at the 2016 CCM Chamber Music Competition and Second Prize at both the 2015 and 2017 OSTA Chamber Music Competitions. She has performed more than fifty chamber recitals since 2013, collaborating with distinguished instrumentalists across the United States and Korea. Her piano duo received the Grand Prize from the Korea Piano Duo Association Competition.

In addition to her international performing career, Dr. Lee is a devoted educator. She serves as piano and collaborative piano faculty at the University of North Georgia (ÌìÃÀÉçÇø), where she teaches applied piano, class piano, advanced keyboard musicianship, collaborative piano, aural skills, and music theory. Her annual faculty recital series, “A Little Night Hawk Music,” has become a highlight of the ÌìÃÀÉçÇø concert calendar, featuring thematic programs such as In Joy and Sorrow, Fall in Love with 20th Century Piano Works, Between Calmness and Passion in 19th Century Piano Works, and It’s a Love Story (Schumann).

Dr. Lee’s teaching has inspired exceptional student achievements. Her students have pursued graduate studies with scholarships and have earned top prizes at national and international competitions, including the Franklin Pond Chamber Music Competition (2023), American Prodigy Competition, Vivo International Music Competition, Southeast Young Artist Competition, and the Georgia Music Teachers Association (GMTA) Competition.

She has appeared as a guest artist at numerous universities, including Washington State University, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Vanderbilt University, Charleston Southern University, Claflin University, the University of the Cumberlands, Clemson University, and Shorter University, among others. She is also a featured guest artist at the International Euphonium Tuba Festival at Emory University.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Lee began piano studies at age five and won her first competition at age eight. She attended Yewon School and Seoul Arts High School, later earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance from Yonsei University, where she studied with Prof. Shin. She holds a Performer Diploma from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music under Prof. Emile Naoumoff, and both the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Profs. James Tocco, Eugene Pridonoff, and Elisabeth Pridonoff. Her doctoral dissertation, “Rachmaninoff’s Early Piano Works and the Traces of Chopin’s Influence,” explores stylistic intersections between Romantic and early modern piano traditions.

Deeply committed to musical outreach, Dr. Lee regularly performs in community concerts throughout Georgia, believing that music’s greatest power lies in its ability to connect people and inspire joy.