Lee R  
Instruments: Cello
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Rock

My name is Dr. Lee R. and I am a cellist, cello teacher, and conductor. I was born in New Haven, Connecticut, but am primarily a native of North Carolina. I began my musical studies at the age of eight on the violin with my mother, virtuoso violinist and violin teacher, Elaine Lee R.. At age fourteen, I switched to the cello, beginning lessons with Luca DiCecco.

For my senior year of high school, I left public school to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts. I remained at NCSA for college where I received my Bachelor of Music degree with Robert Marsh. I went on to complete my Master of Music degree from Southern Methodist University with Marion Davies, and my Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with Parry Karp.

I have been the Principal Cellist of the Knoxville Symphony, the Spoleto Festival, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Green Bay Symphony, and the Fairbanks Symphony. He has also been a member of the Dallas Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet orchestras. He has served as adjunct faculty at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville and Washington and Lee University, and was on the full-time faculty for two years as a term professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

I lived in Las Vegas. NV from December of 2004 to September of 2012 where I was Assitant-Principal with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, taught at the Nevada School of the Arts and the College of Southern Nevada, and was the cellist in the orchestra of Phantom, The Las Vegas Spectacular! I am also a conductor. My minor concentration for my doctorate was Instrumental Conducting, and studied with David E. Becker. I have been a guest conductor with several high school and middle school string orchestras, been a substitute conductor for university/community orchestras, and organized two benefit chamber orchestra concerts in Las Vegas, in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, I was an Associate with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Conductor’s Institute with Markand Thakar, and a Participant at the Conductor’s Retreat at Medomak, with Kenneth Kiesler. In September of 2015, I was appointed Co-Conductor of the Youth Camerata, a middle school string orchestra of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestras. I was also invited to conduct the Southeast Missouri State University Chamber Orchestra in May of this year.

Following the closure of the Phantom show in September of 2012, I relocated to my home state of North Carolina. I now travel between Winston-Salem and Knoxville (and the southeast region) where I freelance, teach, and conduct.