Korean conductor Hae Lee is Associate Conductor of the Richmond Symphony and Conductor of the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra. He won Second Prize at the Kussewitzky Conducting Competition in Italy and was a Finalist at the Besançon Competition for Young Conductors in France. In 2025, Lee served as a jury member for the Antal Doráti Conducting Competition.
In the United States, Lee was Marin Alsop’s cover conductor for concerts with the São Paulo Symphony and the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. He also appeared at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in a performance of Ives’ Symphony No. 4, which requires three conductors. He was a Conducting Fellow at the Cabrillo Festival and Assistant Conductor at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Academy. In Europe, Lee conducted the Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est, Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, Orchestre Dijon Bourgogne, Orchestre Victor Hugo, and Orchestra Sinfonica Città di Grosseto. Following the LEAD! Foundation’s masterclass, he was selected to conduct at the Final Concert of the Fiskars Festival in Finland, sharing the podium with Esa-Pekka Salonen, James Gaffigan, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste. Lee also collaborated with prominent composers such as Noriko Baba, Alexandros Markeas, and Magnus Lindberg,
conducting their works in concert.
In South Korea, Lee was invited to masterclasses with the Seoul Philharmonic, Korean National Symphony, and Korea National Opera. He led world premieres at the Seoul Contemporary Music Festival and the Korean Composers Association Festival, and conducted Michael Spyres’ Korean debut concert, broadcast nationwide. An experienced opera conductor, Lee led productions including Le nozze di Figaro, L’elisir d’amore, La Bohème, and Gianni Schicchi, and served as assistant for Don Giovanni, Così
fan tutte, Die Fledermaus, and Mermaid in the Jar. Lee studied conducting at the Korea National University of Arts, Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Mannes School of Music, and Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, supported by multiple scholarships and grants. He maintains close relationships with mentors, including Marin Alsop, Joseph Young, David Hayes, Fabien Gabel, David Reiland, and Jukka-Pekka Saraste.
Lee lives in Richmond with his wife, soprano Young-Hae Jeon, a DMA student at George Mason University.
