Matthew Lee, trumpet, is an active freelance musician and teacher in the Chicago area. In addition to performing with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Mr. Lee is also Principal Trumpet of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, a member of the Chicago Brass Quintet, the Millar Brass Ensemble and Tower Brass of Chicago. He is a regular substitute and extra musician with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Holding a BA in Music Education from Western Illinois University and a MM degree in Trumpet Performance from Northwestern University, his primary teachers have included William DeJong, Vincent Cichowicz and Adolph Herseth. As a soloist, Mr. Lee was the winner of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago Concerto Competition and was a semi-finalist in both the Concert Artists Guild of New York City and Maurice Andre International Competition in Paris.
Mr. Lee is on the faculty of the Music Institute of Chicago he is both a teacher and mentor for the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative and the SEED program through Chicago Sinfonietta, serving musicians from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. During the summer, for the past twenty three years, Mr. Lee has served on the faculty of the Birch Creek Music Academy in Door County, WI.
He has performed on two Grammy Award winning recordings with the Chicago Symphony, as well as a Billboard Magazine top classical crossover CD with the Millar Brass Ensemble. Other CDs include those with the Chicago Brass Quintet, Tower Brass of Chicago, the Elgin (IL) Symphony, Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago Sinfonietta and Sones de Mexico.