Oberlin

Lee-Chin Siow '95, violinist

Lee-Chin has performed to critical acclaim in over 20 countries on five continents, from Carnegie Hall to Japan’s Osaka Symphony Hall. The Oberlin alumna (’95) is a gold medal winner of the 1994 Henryk Szeryng International Violin Competition and the Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition for Strings. Lee-Chin has enjoyed collaborations with renowned orchestras and conductors, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Daniele Gatti, Houston Symphony and Andreas Delfs, Dallas Symphony and the late Eduardo Mata, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Kees Bakels, and the Singapore Symphony and Lan Shui. Active in charitable work, Lee-Chin has also appeared as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Recently, she was the featured soloist with the China Radio-Film Symphony Orchestra in a gala concert showcasing top artists from China and Singapore to celebrate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Lee-Chin’s latest CD, Songs My Father Taught Me, topped HMV’s classical music chart and was picked for Fanfare Magazine’s 2009 Want List: “This is artistry of the highest level.” Highlights of her solo appearances at international music festivals include the Banff Music Festival, Lucerne International Music Festival, Ludwigsburger International Music Festival (Germany), Music Fest Perugia (Italy), Cervantino Festival (Mexico), Virtuosi International Music Festival (Brazil), and the Singapore Arts Festival. Her live performances have been broadcast on CBS Sunday Morning, National Public Radio, Voice of America, Singapore’s MediaCorp TV and China Central TV (CCTV). In 1994, Lee-Chin was conferred Singapore’s Youth Award for Excellence in the Arts by the Prime Minister, and was honored with the Singapore National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 1996.

Passionate and committed to teaching, Lee-Chin has served as visiting professor at the Oberlin Conservatory and given masterclasses and outreach programs all over the world, including the National University of Singapore, Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music, Lisbon Academy of Music, Chicago Institute of Music, University of Maryland, Ohio University and Spoleto Study Abroad (Italy), among many others. In the fall of 2008, she was on sabbatical as a visiting artist at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore. Currently, Lee-Chin is the director of strings and professor of violin at the College of Charleston and co-founder and artistic co-director of the Charleston Music Fest. An alumna of the Curtis Institute of Music, the Mannes College of Music, and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, her teachers included Roland and Almita Vamos, Felix Galimir, Jascha Brodsky, and Aaron Rosand. For more information, visit www.leechin.com.

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Lee-Chin Siow '95, violinist
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“Stellar"

—The New York Times

“Here was a lark that ascended with utmost grace and sang in the loveliest of voices."

—The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“Lee-Chin…teased out the glitter of Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy with aplomb."

—The London Times

“A distinguished cultural asset of international stature."

— American Record Guide