Born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1985, Soo-Young Lee is an internationally acclaimed clarinetist known for her versatility as a soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber artist. She began her musical journey on the violin at age five and turned to the clarinet at twelve. Her early studies took place at Ye-Won Arts School and Seoul Arts High School. She graduated summa cum laude from Seoul National University under Dong-Jin Kim, earned a Master’s degree with distinction at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz with Prof. Stefan Schilling, and completed her Konzertexamen with distinction at the Detmold University of Music under Prof. Thomas Lindhorst.
During her studies, Lee received first and special prizes at numerous international competitions in South Korea, Austria, Russia, and Germany, and was invited to participate in prestigious events including the Prague Spring International Music Competition, the ARD Competition in Munich, and the Carl Nielsen International Music Competition. At sixteen, she was selected as a Kumho Young Artist, performing a solo recital in Seoul.
As a soloist, she has appeared with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Northwest German Philharmonic, Orchestra Filarmonica di Benevento, Romanian National Orchestra, Estonian Sinfonietta, Vienna Korean Philharmonic, Philharmonic Orchestra of Korea, and Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, collaborating with conductors such as Neeme Järvi, Florian Ludwig, Normunds Šnē, and Jonathan Bloxham. In 2024, she premiered Evelin Seppar’s Clarinet Concerto ‘Kraft’ with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra.
Lee joined the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in 2014 and has served as Principal Clarinetist since 2019. She appears regularly as guest principal with numerous internationally renowned orchestras, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Madrid Symphony, Welsh National Opera Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Helsinki Philharmonic, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Turku Philharmonic, Detmold Chamber Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian Sinfonietta, and the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Lucerne Festival, Estonian Festival Orchestra under Paavo Järvi, Klangforum Wien, and participated as an academist in Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, and Asian Philharmonic Orchestra academies.
Alongside her orchestral career, Lee is a dedicated chamber musician, performing with ensembles such as the Zemlinsky Quartet and Hadimova String Quartet, and is a founding member of Ensemble Auftakt (violin, clarinet, and piano trio) and the Estonian Wind Quintet. She also regularly gives solo recitals across Europe, and is active as an educator, teaching clarinet and chamber music and giving masterclasses throughout Europe and Asia.
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