Known for her diversity and versatility, Canadian American pianist Vanessa May-lok Lee is sought after as a collaborative pianist. Having made her Carnegie Hall (Isaac Stern Auditorium) debut in June 2014, Ms. Lee has performed with internationally acclaimed artists in a wide variety of contexts ranging from traditional duos and trios to ensembles of unique and often unorthodox instrumentations. She has appeared in recital with Jörgen van Rijen (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra), Joseph Alessi (New York Philharmonic), Jesper Busk Sørensen (Berlin Philharmonic), and Jeffrey Beecher (Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble; Toronto Symphony Orchestra) among others.

Ms. Lee is currently the Director of the Barbara E. Field Chamber Music Program at Third Street Music School where she joined the Piano and Chamber Music Faculty in 2014.  She is also the Program Coordinator for Partners at Third Street, a program that provides free and low-cost music, choral or dance group classes held at Third Street Music School.  She has served as a faculty pianist at the Manhattan School of Music and The Juilliard School and has been on the faculty of advanced studies with the National Children’s Chorus.  Ms. Lee has also been a guest teaching artist at Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute working with NYC public school teachers.  

Ms. Lee’s concert engagements continue to showcase her strong interest in pursuing a wide variety of projects.  She has served as the rehearsal pianist for Maestro Vladimir Jurowski and the NY Philharmonic’s performances of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, released four CD’s showcasing her support of music from living composers and has presented a solo project featuring an original narrative in collaboration with puppeteers.  Ms. Lee is both the pianist and member of the Board of Directors of EnsembleNYC, an ensemble dedicated to bringing hope to the people of New York City by offering concerts which give a minimum of 10% of ticket sales to a chosen charity.

Ms. Lee has served as collaborative pianist for various competitions including Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Standard Life Competition, International Women’s Brass Conference Competitions and TD Canada Trust Elora Festival Young Artist Competition. She has also been a collaborative-pianist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for the fall and winter residency programs.

Ms. Lee has been the recipient of numerous grants and accolades including a Grant to Professional Musician (Individual) and a Music Recording Production Grant from The Canada Council for the Arts. She has also received a Commissioning and Recording Grant from the Ontario Arts Council. She has been a national finalist at the Canadian Music Competition and prize-winner at the provincial level of The Kiwanis Music Festival both in Ontario and BC, Canada.

Ms. Lee graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance with Honours from the University of Toronto where she studied with Marietta Orlov and a Master of Music from the Royal Academy of Music in London, England with Michael Young. In May 2014 she completed pre-doctoral studies at the Manhattan School of Music with John Forconi through the generous support of The Canada Council for the Arts.

Ms. Lee currently makes her home in Brooklyn, New York.

A shorter bio is available on the Media Downloads page.  

Biography may not be altered without approval by the artist.