Contact: Liza Prijatel Thors Vice President of Communications 412.392.4866 [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Announces Earl Lee as New Associate Conductor Lee Also Named Music Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra

April 23, 2018 (Pittsburgh, PA) —The two-time 2018 Grammy Award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) announces the appointment of Conductor and Cellist Earl Lee as the organization’s new Associate Conductor. He will begin his tenure thie September, at the start of the 2018-2019 season. Additionally, the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PYSO) has named Lee as Music Director for their 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons. Lee will join the PSO fresh from the heels of his tenure as Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director and Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.

President and CEO of the PSO’s Melia Tourangeau states; “We are thrilled to have Mr. Lee join the artistic team of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. His background and talent will be a true asset to the organization and we look forward to introducing him to the Pittsburgh Community.” “Earl Lee was selected following an extensive search that culminated in a successful audition before the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,” said Mary Persin, Vice President of Artistic Planning. “He represents the excellence and spirit of the organization and also shares our deep commitment to young people and the community. We believe that he will make a great impact on our audiences and the entire organization looks forward to working together with him." Craig Johnson, Executive Director of the PYSO adds, "We are thrilled and excited that Mr. Lee can continue in maintaining the excellent collaborative relationship that has been a long held tradition between the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra."

Earl Lee: Conductor/Cellist

A dynamic and energetic figure on stage, Canadian musician Earl Lee pursues a diverse career both as a conductor and a cellist. Lee currently holds the RBC Resident Conductor position of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Artistic Director & Conductor position of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra. Lee frequently appears on the podium at the Roy Thomson Hall leading the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as making guest conducting appearances throughout the world.

Earl Lee was the only Canadian, and one of seven conductors out of over two hundred applicants selected by renowned conductor Bernard Haitink as an active participant in the 2016 Haitink Masterclass at the Lucerne Easter Festival. A two time participant at the prestigious Kurt Masur Conducting Seminar in New York, Lee was one of two 2013 Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Scholarship recipient chosen by Maestro Masur. As a Mendelssohn Scholar Lee traveled to Leipzig, Germany, to study with Masur the music and life of Felix Mendelssohn. Lee received a 2013 Ansbacher Conducting Fellowship Award, selected by the American Austrian Foundation and members of the Vienna Philharmonic, and spent six weeks at the Salzburg Festival in Austria. Lee also participated in the 5th International Conducting Masterclass with David Zinman and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in 2014.

Dedicated to sharing music beyond the concert hall and with the community at large, Lee is passionately engaged in student, outreach and run-out concerts as he firmly believes in music’s ability to nourish, inspire, and heal. With the TSO, Lee plays a key role in programming and scripting student concerts and performs for thousands of students annually. As a cellist, Lee performed in numerous run-out concerts with the goal of bringing the joys of music making to people in retirement homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and churches.

As a cellist, Lee has toured with Chick Corea, Gary Burton Duo and as a guest member of the Harlem String Quartet in 2012. Lee performed in many notable series and venues during this tour including Symphony Hall in Boston, Maison symphonique de Montréal and the iconic Blue Note jazz club in New York City. As a passionate chamber musician, Lee has toured all over the United States as part of such ensembles as Musicians from Marlboro. Lee’s cello performance frequently appears on major radio programs including the St. Paul Sunday. Lee has performed at prestigious summer festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Music from Angel Fire, Caramoor Rising Stars, and Ravinia’s Steans Institute. He is currently a member of a conductor-less chamber ensemble, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra (ECCO).

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School with degrees in cello, Earl began his conducting studies in 2010 studying with Ignat Solzhenitsyn. In 2013, Lee received his Masters in Conducting from the Manhattan School of Music, studying with George Manahan. Lee continued his post-graduate conducting studies at the New England Conservatory with Hugh Wolff prior to starting his tenure with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

The two-time 2018 GRAMMY Award-winning PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (PSO) is credited with a rich history of engaging the world’s finest conductors and musicians, and demonstrates a genuine commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Known for its artistic excellence for more than 120 years, past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), Andre Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1997-2004). This tradition of outstanding international music directors was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

The PSO is continually at the forefront of championing new American works. They premiered Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1944 and John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine in 1986, and in the 2018/2019 season they will premiere Mason Bates’ commission for Honeck’s 60th birthday celebration. The orchestra has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and live radio broadcasts. Its recording of Shostakovich 5 / Barber Adagio won 2018 GRAMMY Awards for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Engineered Classical Album, and their “Pittsburgh Live!” series with Reference Recordings resulted in back-to-back GRAMMY nominations in 2015 and 2016.

As early as 1936, the PSO has been broadcasted on the radio. Since 1982, the orchestra has received increased attention through national network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

HEINZ HALL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc., a non-profit organization, and is the year-round home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, Heinz Hall hosts many events that do not feature its world-renowned Orchestra including Broadway shows, popular touring artists, comedians, speakers and much more. For a full calendar of upcoming non-symphony events at the hall, visit heinzhall.org.

# # #

Twitter: @pghsymphony |Facebook: facebook.com/PittsburghSymphonyOrchestra Fairmont Pittsburgh is the official hotel of the PSO. Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the PSO.