Justin Lee

Justin Lee, originally from Washington State, is currently principal flutist of the Brooklyn Wind Symphony and has appeared in the NYC area with Litha Symphony Orchestra, Utopia Opera, Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra, and as concerto soloist with the Manhattan Wind Ensemble. Beginning with the 2018 season, Justin is Principal Flutist of the New York Chamber Player’s Orchestra. In the San Francisco Bay Area from 2008-2014, Justin was a founding member of the chamber group Nonsemble 6, a contemporary ensemble praised for its renditions of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in fully staged, costumed, and memorized performances. Justin has performed with the Napa Music Festival Opera, Opera Academy of California, Magik*Magik Orchestra, and One Found Sound. Other highlights include appearances at the Festival of French Classical Music of Silicon Valley, the Astoria Music Festival in Oregon, the Kennedy Center in D.C., and Other Minds Festival. While a master’s student studying with Timothy Day, Justin won the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition and was awarded Outstanding Achievement in Flute. Justin also won the Western Washington University Concerto Competition, top prizes in the Ladies Musical Club of Seattle Soloist Competition and Bellingham Music Club Competition, and has appeared twice as a semi-finalist in the Myrna Brown Artist Competition. Justin can be heard on the albums of Gem Club and How to Dress Well; in Naxos recordings of the Kreutzer Violin Concertos featuring Axel Strauss; and on bass clarinet duo Sqwonk’s album Sqwonk+. Justin’s primary teachers are Timothy Day, Zart Dombourian-Eby, and Lisa McCarthy.

Passionate about education, Justin co-created a flute/harp/horn trio for San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures in Music program and performed interactive classical music concerts for nearly ten thousand students in public schools. As a private instructor, Justin’s teaching philosophy is one of combining the traditional goal of developing classical flute technique with the unique interests and strengths of the individual student.