ABOUT
A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Music Performance program (2003) and a Royal Conservatory of Music trained artist-educator, Alexandra Lee has matured into a consummate performance cellist and music educator in her adopted-hometown of Sudbury, Ontario. At home in a multitude of musical genres, Ms. Lee and her cello have collaborated on projects in styles of classical, avant-garde, jazz, rock/popular, and her newly-cultivated passion for children’s music.
As co-founder of the Silver Birch String Quartet (est. 2004), she has three recordings and has received several accolades including both Juno and Félix nominations (2010). She has had the pleasure of collaborating in concert with many of Canada’s prominent musicians and composers (Tanya Tagaq, Peter Longworth, Alexander Sevastian, Le Paysagiste, Brian Current, Yoko Hirota, Robert Lemay, Brian Harman, John Roney, and many others).
She has played her cello as an “ambassador of the arts” all over the Near-North of Ontario in Sudbury, North Bay, Timmins, Hearst, Manitoulin Island, Elliot Lake, Temagami, Shining Tree, as well as performed nationally and internationally in Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, California, and Italy. The repertoire ranges across JS Bach, Haydn, Debussy, Shostakovich, Lutoslawski, R. Murray Schafer, experimental improvisation, and many more between the lines. When asked what is her favourite music, she often says “the one on my music stand”, showing her dedication for each project she embarks upon.
Her passion for introducing the cello to new listeners has brought forth innovative projects such as: “Cello Café”, an “open-mic” style café performance for amateur cellists; “Contes d’un violoncelle”/”Cello Tales” - a unique bilingual performance designed to foster children’s love of cello music and storybooks; and, in close consultation with special needs professionals and a music therapist, has started a popular run of Sensory Friendly Concerts.