Well, we have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that our colleague, Xian Meng, is leaving us to pursue other interests. We will miss him terribly, but we wish him all the best. The good news is that Michelle Lie will be joining us as the Tesla Quartet's new second violinist in May, 2011. Michelle is a wonderful musician, and we're excited to continue to bring music to all of you in the coming years. The other good news is that Michelle will be moving here to Boulder, as we have been asked to stay for a third year to continue our studies with the Takacs Quartet. Lots of exciting things happening! And to introduce you to Michelle...
Born in Munich, Germany in 1982 and raised in South Korea since the age of 6, Yeun Hae Michelle Lie did not start playing the violin until the age of 14. While some may consider this a late start for a violinist, Ms. Lie has combined dedication and talent to achieve many successes in her musical career. After graduating from the prestigious Seoul Arts High School in 2000 Ms. Lie studied at Dankook University in Seoul, Korea with DaeShick Kang. While she was getting her Bachelor’s degree Ms. Lie was awarded First prize in the 250th anniversary of J.S. Bach Competition and was the winner of Dankook University’s 2004 Concerto Competition. Ms. Lie has performed as a soloist with various orchestras in Korea. After she graduated with academic and performance honors in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree of Music, Ms. Lie went on to earn her Master’s degree at The New England Conservatory, studying with Eric Rosenblith. During this time, Ms. Lie gave solo recitals in Seoul as well as in Boston at the New England Conservatory. Ms. Lie made various appearances in the solo and chamber settings at the 2005 and 2006 IMAI (International Music and Art Institute) summer festival in Fryeburg, Maine. From 2004 to 2006, Ms. Lie has performed as a member of the Boston Philharmonic, led by Benjamin Zander, as well as the Bangor Symphony.
She continued her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she finished a Professional Studies program with William Preucil. During her time in Cleveland, Ms. Lie was also a member of the Iannis String Quartet, which was awarded the ‘Special Recognition award’ from the 2007 Plowman Competition in Missouri. As first violinist of the Iannis Quartet, Ms. Lie participated in The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival studying with the Tokyo String Quartet and the Vermeer String Quartet in 2007. In the same year, the Iannis Quartet was honored by invitation to the Mimir Chamber Music Festival studying with members of the Chicago Symphony. Ms. Lie was invited to the 2008 Perlman Music Program where she worked with Itzhak Perlman, Don Weilerstein, Merry Peckham, Paul Katz, and Roger Tapping. As an orchestra player she has worked with the Cleveland Orchestra as a substitute member with whom she recently performed in Carnegie Hall in New York City. As a local musician, Ms. Lie joined the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra while working as a concertmaster with Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. She is currently attending Indiana University’s Jacob School of Music, studying with Mark Kaplan and pursuing a Doctoral degree in Music while teaching as an Associate Instructor.