Chinese/Canadian composer Hope Lee turned 70 on January 14, 2023. Congratulations!
Hope Lee was born in Taiwan in 1953 and immigrated to Canada in 1967. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto before going on to McGill University to study piano and composition. Further studies in composition took her to the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg, in Breisgau, Germany, the Darmstadt Ferienkurse für Neue Musik (Germany) and the Durham Oriental Music Festival in England. Among her composition teachers were Bengt Hambraeus, Brian Cherney, and Klaus Huber. Between 1987 and 1990 Lee studied Chinese traditional music and poetry, as well as computer music, in Berkeley, California. Lee has composed music for various combinations of instruments, almost exclusively for chamber ensembles. Many have been performed at international music festivals and have won major awards. She has been engaged as a guest composer at festivals and universities in Asia, Europe and Canada. Hope‘s work can be heard on Attacca (Germany/Holland), Aurait (Italy), Centrediscs, SNE and UNICAL (Canada) recording labels. Furore-Verlag publishes all her works.
“Ms. Lee is one of Canada’s most accomplished composers who continues to use her Chinese background as an inspiration and motivation for producing challenging and fascinating works. The music is highly crafted and original with an accurate sense of colour and form. Her sensitive use of contrast and dynamics give her pieces a three dimensional aspect, which transports the listeners to a mystical space beyond the concert hall. Fei Yang in her Voices in Time cycle is one of the most fascinating works I have ever heard for accordion. The instrument at times blends perfectly with the four strings in the ensemble and then suddenly becomes an intruder such as a fierce wind or act of nature.” Robert Aitken / Artistic Director, New Music Concerts Toronto, 2009