Violinist Kristin Lee Takes “American Sketches” to Carnegie Hall

Lee will make her debut in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall on March 12 with pianist John Novacek as part of the United in Sound: America at 250 celebration. The festival highlights the diverse voices and traditions that have shaped American identity through music.

Lee was born in South Korea and grew up in a musical family. Her mother was the founding mezzo-soprano of the Seoul City Opera. But it was her father’s job that initially brought the family to the United States. After he accepted a visiting professor position at Auburn University, the family moved from South Korea to Alabama. The intention was for the family to stay for a year, but Lee’s talent for the violin at a very young age changed all that.

Her violin teacher encouraged the family to stay for another year, to see if Lee might be accepted into the Julliard pre-college program. Her parents made the very difficult decision to live separately, with Lee and her sister staying with their mom in the U.S., and her dad returning to Korea for work. Lee was accepted into the Julliard School at the age of 11, and the family moved to New Jersey.

She released her debut solo album, American Sketches, in Fall 2024. The album draws from Lee's own story of American identity, and reflects the true diversity of American music with pieces ranging from George Gershwin to Amy Beach to Thelonius Monk. The album is also very much inspired by her collaborator on the album, Jeremy Jordan. 

“Jeremy and I went to school together at the Julliard School,” said Lee. “We sort of reconnected because I saw him perform and I was just so blown away with his ability to improvise and play so many different styles along with classical music.” 

Lee’s own musical influences are wide-ranging. Although she was trained in classical music and learned all the standard concertos at a young age, she began exploring different sounds in college. 

“I started to discover a lot of jazz. I started collaborating a lot with composers at the school who were writing music that was quite atonal and very contemporary and influenced by other genres of music…I started growing my palette of what I like in music.”

And now, bringing the music of American Sketches to Carnegie Hall in the United in Sound: America at 250 concert, Lee draws a connection between her musical journey and her own American story. 

“I think my craving in music is to seek more inspiration and seek different types of genres—find inspiration from it, explore it, and then make it my own,” Lee explained. “I think it's truly the perfect analogy for my life as an Asian American. I came to this country from Korea not knowing what to expect, and…through the exploration and the musical journey that I was given, I am myself today. And the album was truly a testament to my journey. It's not directly Asian American influenced music, but it's really about embracing the versatility––embracing the influences of all the cultures. American music stands for that, and America stands for that. And I am a product of that too.”

You can see Kristin Lee and pianist John Novacek perform American Sketches at Carnegie Hall on March 12. Tickets are available here.

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