The pianist Franziska Lee, celebrated as a "lyrical jewel" by
the press, is one of today’s leading young musicians. Born in Seoul,
South Korea, she started her Bachelor studies with Prof. HeeSung Joo
at the Seoul National University’s College of Music and graduated
summa cum laude in 2011. In 2011 she arrived in Germany as a
scholarship holder of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to
take a master’s degree and concert soloist degree with Prof. Sontraud
Speidel at the University of Music Karlsruhe. She found further
inspiration with Prof. Peter Lang from the Mozarteum in Salzburg,
Austria.
Franziska Lee won first prizes at numerous international competitions
such as the 2010 “International Piano Competition of Korea”, the
Viennese competition “Prof. Dichler-Wettbewerb” and “Concorso
Internazionale di Esecuzione Musicale Giovani Musicisti” in Treviso,
Italy. She received further prizes and special awards in 2012 at the
“Concorso internazionale di musica Euterpe”, the “Concorso
internazionale di Esecuzione Pianistica Premio Euterpe” and the
“International Music Competition” in Padova. In 2013 Lee won first
prizes at the “Dr. Hermann Büttner” piano competition of the
University of Music Karlsruhe and in 2016 at the “Grand Prize Virtuoso
International Music Competition” in London.
Franziska Lee performs in renowned concert halls across Germany and all
over Europe. Several engagements led the young artist to Minneapolis
(USA) where she gave guest performances at the “International e-Piano
MusikFest”. In 2015 she gave solo performances as part of the “Rising
Stars” program of the Universities of Music Karlsruhe, Freiburg and
Stuttgart together with the Polish symphonic orchestra of Toru?,
conducted by Maciej Niesiolowksi. These concerts were followed by
debuts with the Karlsruhe Chamber Orchestra, the Dortmunder
Philharmoniker, the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and
the Philharmonie Baden-Baden, as well as engagements in radio and film
productions. In 2018 her Debut-CD “L’HEURE EXQUISE” was released by
Capriccio/Naxos. BBC London Radio, BR-Klassik, Deutschlandfunk Kultur,
Kulturradio rbb and SWR2 presented and broadcasted this recording.
Besides her concert activities Franziska Lee is also involved in
supporting up-and-coming musicians. Since 2017 she teaches at the
University of Music Karlsruhe and she is a regular juror at “Jugend
musiziert”- Germany and at international competitions.