Young Artist Competition

John Lee

Overall Winner

John Lee is a 16-year-old junior born and raised in the Kansas City area. He began learning
cello at 11 years old during the pandemic, under Samuel Cho. Mostly learning through online
lessons, John discovered his passion and talent for the cello. After two years, he began
studying in person with Susie Yang, the Associate Principal of the Kansas City Symphony.
Within five short years, John has demonstrated a performance level on par with college
students, marking his solo debut at Kauffman Center at age 15 with the Kansas City Civic
Orchestra.

John has worked with many accomplished musicians throughout his career. Notable
experiences include a masterclass taught by the Quartetto di Cremona, multiple masterclasses
with world-renowned violist Martha Katz, performing alongside Grammy-nominated saxophonist
Tia Fuller in her 2023 world premiere of Charlie Parker with Strings, and receiving guidance
from esteemed musicians such as Alex Klein, Peter Wiley, and Charles Stegeman. John is a
member of the self-formed chamber groups MJAW Quartet and Tesura Quartet. He also
participates in ensembles such as the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, where he currently
serves as Associate Principal in its Symphony Orchestra and has played with the Heartland
Camerata Orchestra, the Kansas All-State Orchestra as a freshman, sophomore, and junior, the
Young Artist Project, in the Blanche-Bryden Sunflower Festival, and at Carnegie Hall with
YSKC.

A few of John’s achievements include winning the Rising Quartet Award with a $6,000
scholarship from the Las Vegas Chamber Music Institute and being one of the winners with the
Tesura Quartet, earning the 2024 MTNA State Senior Performance title, and winning the 2024
Kansas City Civic Orchestra Young Artist competition. He was a finalist in the 2023 KC
Symphony Young Artist competition and has received multiple full-year scholarships to Kansas’
Young Artist Project, along with the Kansas City Young Chamber Musicians’ leadership award.
Beyond music, John is passionate about science, particularly astrophysics. He also competes in
track and field at his school, Blue Valley Southwest, qualifying for state in the Boys 110m
Hurdles this past year.