Sanghie Lee

Sanghie Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea and started playing the piano at the age of 5. A musical prodigy, she won the first prize in competition at age 8, and went on to attend Yewon School & Seoul Arts High School. She studied with Professor Shin at Yonsei University, receiving scholarships and earning both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music. Moving to the United States for further studies, she first earned her Performer Diploma at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University, under Emile Naoumoff. She then went to the College-Conservatory of Music at Cincinnati to study with Eugene Pridonoff and Elisabeth Pridonoff. Currently, she is a DMA candidate and Artist Diploma, studying with James Tocco under a full scholarship. Sanghie has won first prize in many competitions, including the Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition in 2015, where she also won a special award for Best Interpretation of an American Composer’s Work. She won second prize at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition in 2014 performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1, which she also performed with the University of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 2016. She has been invited to the Beethoven International Piano Competition in Bonn, Piano FVG Competition in Italy, World Piano Competition, and San Jose International Competition. In Korea, Sanghie also won numerous first prizes at major competitions such as the Beethoven Piano Competition of Korea, Haneum Piano Competition, and Korea Piano Duo Association Competition. An active chamber musician, Sanghie is a member of the piano trio Canorus, which won second prize at the 2017 OSTA (Ohio String Teachers Association) Chamber Music Competition; the trio has also won first prize at the 2016 CCM Chamber Competition and second prize in 2015. With other chamber groups, she has performed over 50 chamber recitals since 2013 in the Cincinnati area. At the Korea Piano Duo Association competition in Seoul, she won the Grand Prize for her piano duo recital performance. Also in Seoul, Sanghie has been invited to perform at the Young Artist Musician’s Festival by Eumyoun, New Rising Star Debut Recital, and Young Artist Piano Recital. She performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Yonsei University Symphony Orchestra as the winner of the school’s 2009 Concerto Competition. Sanghie has participated many music festivals, including Art of the Piano; she was chosen to participate in the 2016 Gilmore Piano Festival as a top piano student in the College-Conservatory of Music, where she performed in a master class with Yefim Bronfman. She has also performed in master classes with Paul Schenly, Bruno Rigutto, Hie-Yeon Choi, Yoshikazu Nagai, Kate Soyeon Lee, Dror Biran, Michael Chertock, Ning An, Vivian Hornik Weilerstein, and Roberto Diaz.