Catherina Lee is one of the most gifted violinists to have emerged from Australia. She possesses exceptional musicianship with a unique charm, poignancy, and sensitivity that place her in a league of her own. Leading conductor Marin Alsop recently commented, “I am hugely impressed. Catherina is a beautiful violinist and musician.”
Hailing from the Gold Coast, Catherina studied extensively with Elizabeth Morgan AM, giving her first public recital aged 9 and debuting with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra at 13, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. At 15, she was accepted into the class of Gerhard Schulz of the famed Alban Berg Quartet at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna. Catherina was the first player to pass the university’s gruelling requirements of the ‘Solo Profile’ and graduated with distinction. Subsequently, she was selected to be mentored by the renowned soloist, Janine Jansen in Sion, Switzerland.
In 2023, Catherina has solo and chamber music engagements at the Oberösterreichische Stiftskonzerte, Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Junge Philharmonie Wien, and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Following Steven Isserlis’s recommendation, Catherina was invited to be a Fellow at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia, where she spent several weeks performing with a number of seasoned artists including Kim Kashkashian and Steven Isserlis.
As a soloist on the cusp of an exciting career, Catherina has already performed with numerous orchestras throughout Europe and Australia, including Göttinger Symphony
Orchestra, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, the Vienna Ensemble, Wiener Akademische Philharmoniker, Junge Philharmonie Wien, Camerata Orphica Festival Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra and Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Her solo debut at the Konzerthaus in Vienna was received with great acclaim.
Catherina plays on a GB Guadagnini, Turin c1771, which is on loan from a generous private sponsor.
Catherina will join Camerata as a special guest for Viva Violin, 4 & 5 August 2023.
