Dr. Kyung-Ae Lee

Dr. Kyung-Ae (Kay) Lee, a native of South Korea, began her piano study at the age of three and made her first public performance at the age of six.  After graduating from Seoul Arts High School and Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea, she moved to the US to further her piano studies. She received her Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and Literature from Eastman School of Music and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Lee has received numerous honors and awards in her career.  Those recognitions include the Getty Fund Scholarship, American Association of University Women (AAUW) PhD Fellowship, Teaching Assistantship at The University of Texas at Austin, Dalies Frantz Endowed Scholarship, Sydney Wright Endowed Scholarship, and Korean Honor Scholarship-awarded twice by South Korean Embassy in Washington D.C.

She has also won several piano competitions in her life including Alma Jeane Ward Memorial Piano Competition, Sydney Wright Piano Accompanying Competition, Clara Wells Piano Competition, and Jeju KBS (Korean Broadcast System) Music Competition. 

In 2001 she returned to Korea to join the faculty at the Ewha Women’s University and Cheju National University while maintaining a busy performing schedule.  As a performer, she performed actively in solo recitals, chamber concerts and lecture recitals, and had frequently appeared in concerto performances as a soloist.  Her most notable concerts include a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Performance Center, performance with Korea Wind Orchestra, Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra, and Kwangju Philharmonic Orchestra, and guest artist recitals at Ewha Women’s University and at Jeju National Museum.  Her performances had been broadcast on KBS, CBS (Cheju Broadcast System), KCTV (Korea Cable TV).

Dr. Lee has also participated in the publications of two articles: Classic Piano Music: Beethoven Piano Variations and Romantic Piano Music: Schubert Piano Sonatas by Il-song Media Publication in Korea.  She also gave a treatise presentation at the 2006 Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

Since moving to the US in January of 2005, she had worked at Texas A&M University-Kingsville as a piano instructor. In summer 2006, Dr. Lee was elected as one of the most honorable musicians representing Jeju Province in South Korea.