Feb. 13-14: Violinist Kristin Lee is Soloist with Nu-Deco Ensemble in A Reimagined Vivaldi Four Seasons – Conducted by Music Director Jacomo Bairos Presented by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Photo by Lauren Desberg available in hi-resolution at www.jensenartists.com/artists-profiles/kristin-lee
Violinist Kristin Lee
is Featured Soloist with the Nu-Deco Ensemble
Conducted by Nu-Deco Music Director Jacomo Bairos
Presented by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
in A Reimagined Vivaldi Four Seasons
Arranged by Sam Hyken
Friday, February 13, 2026 at 8pm
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
1212 Cathedral St. | Baltimore, MD
Tickets & Information
Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 8pm
The Music Center at Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Ln. | North Bethesda, MD
Tickets & Information
Kristin Lee: www.violinistkristinlee.com
Baltimore, MD – Violinist Kristin Lee – praised in The Strad for her “elegance” and “vivacity and electric energy” – is presented by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in two performances on Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14, 2026 with the Miami, FL based Nu-Deco Ensemble, conducted by Nu-Deco Founder and Music Director Jacomo Bairos. Lee is the featured soloist in A Reimagined Vivaldi Four Seasons, arranged by Sam Hyken. The concert program, which is part of the BSO’s Fusion Series, also includes Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein, Umoja Unbound by Valerie Coleman, and an Earth, Wind, and Fire Suite by various artists.
A violinist of remarkable versatility and impeccable technique, Kristin Lee enjoys a vibrant career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and artistic director. “Her technique is flawless, and she has a sense of melodic shaping that reflects an artistic maturity,” writes the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and The Strad reports, “She seems entirely comfortable with stylistic diversity, which is one criterion that separates the run-of-the-mill instrumentalists from true artists.”
Through both her work as a classical soloist, and her role as the Artistic Director of Emerald City Music –– a chamber music series that presents authentically unique concert experiences and bridges the divide between the highest caliber classical music and the many diverse communities of the Puget Sound region of Washington State –– Lee has embraced works that showcase diversity of styles, composers, and time periods. Her adventurousness with programming and curation make this performance of a contemporary reimagining of Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons a perfect fit to highlight Lee’s appreciation of the traditional classical canon and music from other styles and traditions. The work blends the past and the present in a beloved piece of music, performed in celebration of its 300th anniversary (1725–2025).
“I am thrilled to make my debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, especially in this unique arrangement of one of the most cherished works ever written for the violin, marking the 300th anniversary of its publication this season,” says Lee. “Sam Hyken’s arrangement beautifully honors the past while bringing fresh life to the music, and I feel truly grateful to be part of this special performance.”
Performing on a violin crafted in Italy in 1759 by Gennaro Gagliano, in addition to her solo appearances, Kristin Lee tours throughout the world as a member of New York’s Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, including in Italy, Croatia, Germany, Taiwan, and across the U.S. Always up for adventure, at the Moab Music Festival in Utah, Lee has performed in such unexpected places as rafting down the Colorado River, in a natural rock grotto, and in the magical landscape of the red rock canyons of the area.
Other highlights of Lee’s 2025-2026 season include her Carnegie Hall recital debut performing American Sketches, a program curated by Lee as a celebration of the diversity of styles and cultures found in American music, as well as a symbol of Lee’s appreciation of and pride in the U.S., which she has long called her home. Lee will also perform with GRAMMY®-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion in the world premiere of a new work by Vivan Fung, which is part of a special all-premiere concert presented by Emerald City Music as part of its 10th Anniversary Season. She will also perform as the featured soloist with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra in Recomposed: Vivaldi – The Four Seasons by Max Richter, in another performance highlighting the 300th anniversary of Vivaldi’s timeless work.
Kristin Lee’s debut solo album, American Sketches – released in summer 2024 on the First Hand Records – embraces the beauty of cultural diversity in the U.S. The album has a personal resonance for Lee. A native of Seoul, Korea, she emigrated to the U.S. at the age of seven. During her childhood, playing the violin was a refuge from bullying and racism for Kristin – she moved to the U.S. not speaking any English, and felt the violin became her voice. As a foreign-born citizen of the U.S., Lee was compelled to select repertoire for the album that would express her pride in the country she now calls her own. She has recorded works by American composers including Amy Beach, George Gershwin, Theolonius Monk, Scott Joplin, and more, that have a distinct and recognizable sound of American music and its rich history.
As a soloist, Kristin Lee has appeared with leading orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Hawai’i Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Ural Philharmonic of Russia, Korean Broadcasting Symphony, Guiyang Symphony Orchestra of China, and Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional of Dominican Republic. She has performed on the world’s finest concert stages, including Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Kennedy Center, Kimmel Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Ravinia Festival, the Louvre Museum, the Phillips Collection, and Korea’s Kumho Art Gallery. In 2026, she makes her solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall performing her program American Sketches with pianist John Novacek. An accomplished chamber musician, Kristin Lee is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, performing regularly in New York at Lincoln Center and on tour. In addition to her prolific performance career, Lee is a devoted educator. She has served on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and she has also been in residence with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, the El Sistema Chamber Music Festival of Venezuela, and is a summer faculty member at Music@Menlo’s Chamber Music Institute. Lee is also the founding artistic director of Emerald City Music (ECM), a chamber music series that presents authentically unique concert experiences and bridges the divide between the highest caliber classical music and the many diverse communities of the Puget Sound region of Washington State.
Kristin Lee’s honors include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, top prizes in the Walter W. Naumburg Competition and the Astral Artists National Auditions, and awards from the Trondheim Chamber Music Competition, Trio di Trieste Premio International Competition, the SYLFF Fellowship, Dorothy DeLay Scholarship, the Aspen Music Festival’s Violin Competition, the New Jersey Young Artists’ Competition, and the Salon de Virtuosi Scholarship Foundation.
Born in Seoul, Lee moved to the United States and studied under prestigious teachers including Sonja Foster, Catherine Cho, Dorothy DeLay, Donald Weilerstein, and Itzhak Perlman. Lee holds a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School. Lee’s violin was crafted in Naples, Italy in 1759 by Gennaro Gagliano and is generously loaned to her by Paul & Linda Gridley.
For more information, visit www.violinistkristinlee.com.
For Calendar Editors:
Description: Violinist Kristin Lee, praised in The Strad for her “elegance” and “vivacity and electric energy,” will be the featured soloist in two performances with the Miami, FL based Nu-Deco Ensemble, presented by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Both performances will be conducted by Nu-Deco Founder and Music Director, Jacomo Bairos. Lee will perform A Reimagined Vivaldi Four Seasons (arr. by Sam Hyken). The program also includes Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein, Umoja Unbound by Valerie Coleman, and an Earth, Wind, and Fire Suite by various artists.
Concert details:
Who: Violinist Kristin Lee
Soloist with Nu-Deco Ensemble
Presented by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Nu-Deco Founder and Music Director Jacomo Bairos
What: Reimagined: Vivaldi's Four Seasons with Music by Antonio Vivaldi, Leonard Bernstein, Valerie Coleman, and various artists performing an Earth, Wind and Fire Suite
When: Friday, February 13, 2026 at 8pm and Saturday, February 14, 2026 at 8pm
Where: (Friday): Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201
(Saturday) The Music Center at Strathmore 5301 Tuckerman Ln, North Bethesda, MD 20852
Tickets and information: https://my.bsomusic.org/overview/19778