Harriman-Jewell Series: Bringing the best of the performing arts to Kansas City

Rising Star Violinist Rachel Lee to Play Free Discovery Concert for KC Community Presented by Harriman-Jewell Series

WHO: RACHEL LEE, violinist in free Discovery Concert

WHEN: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13, at 7 P.M.

PRESENTED BY: HARRIMAN-JEWELL SERIES

WHERE: FOLLY THEATER, downtown Kansas City, Mo. (12th and Central Sts.)

TICKETS: FREE—order online at hjseries.org and print tickets at home or call 816-415-5025 for assistance.

PROGRAM: Beethoven's Sonata for violin and piano, No. 10 in G major; Prokofiev's Melodies for violin and piano, Op. 35 bis; Webern's Four Pieces for violin and piano, Op. 7; and Enescu's Violin Sonata No. 3 in A major, Op. 25 .

EDUCATIONAL EVENT: Rachel Lee will also lead a free violin master class with preselected students from the Kansas City area in the Forbis Recital Hall, Pillsbury Music Center, on the William Jewell College campus in Liberty, Mo. The class is designed to be enjoyed by audience observers; the public is invited to attend this free event from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friday, February 12 (the day before her recital at the Folly Theater). Reservations are not necessary.

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leadmarker American violinist Rachel Lee will play her Kansas City debut in a free Harriman-Jewell Series Discovery Concert at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 13, at the Folly Theater in downtown Kansas City (12th and Central Sts.). Currently a student at Harvard, Rachel Lee “already commands an impressive musical profile,” according to the Chicago Tribune. (Itzhak Perlman has been Lee’s teacher since she was 10 years old.) The 22-year-old virtuoso's free concert will be her first appearance in Kansas City. Rachel Lee will perform works by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Webern, and Enescu, and then will return to the stage immediately after the concert for a conversation with audience members.

Born in Chicago in 1988, Rachel began her violin studies at the age of four, and in 1996 moved to New York to study with Robert Mann and the late Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School. Lee’s numerous recital appearances in the United States have included performances on Ravinia’s “Rising Stars” series in Chicago and the Matinee Musicale series in Cincinnati.

Rachel Lee has made several important debuts in recent seasons, including with the Chicago, Saint Louis, Houston, and Seattle Symphonies. Lee’s previous engagements have also included the National Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, and Aspen Sinfonia at the Aspen Music Festival. She has performed in Korea several times, including appearances with the Seoul Philharmonic in 2001 and 2006, as well as with the KBS Symphony under Dmitri Kitaenko in 1999.

Lee played her European concerto debut in October 2006, performing the Sibelius Concerto with the Berlin Staatskapelle and Maestro Mikko Franck to an overwhelming response. Since then, European engagements have included a season-opening concert of the Graz Philharmonic, as well as debut recitals at the Verbier Festival and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival in 2008. Lee made her European recital debut at age 15 on the Louvre recital series in Paris.

Rachel Lee has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, Family Circle Magazine, The Strad Magazine, and on radio and television, including a broadcast on PBS with Itzhak Perlman and an “American Masters” documentary about the Juilliard School. She also has appeared on the Disney Channel, performing in Avery Fisher Hall with Disney’s Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra, and performed at the 2000 Grammy Awards.

Those who want free tickets for the Rachel Lee concert on Saturday, February 13, can visit hjseries.org to print tickets at home or call 816-415-5025 to request tickets.

Now in its 45th season, the nationally recognized Harriman-Jewell Series brings acclaimed performers from the worlds of music, dance, and theatre to Kansas City’s downtown venues. In addition to the performances, Educational Events offer free master classes and lectures to allow area community members and students to view artists in an informal setting. Financial support for the 2009-2010 season has been provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

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