Violinist Shannon Lee revisits the lessons, humour and lasting influence of her late teacher Jan Mark Sloman, whose posthumous book Notes to a Violinist captures a lifetime of pedagogical insight and belief in young musicians

Ms. Lee’s grant will support the growth of Chamber Music Perspectives, a one-of-a-kind summer program for young classical music students in Plano, Texas, combining chamber music with the exploration of music composition.

Before he died in 2022, violinist Jan Mark Sloman had one last wish: that his book on violin-playing be published after he died. In the years since, his friends, former students and colleagues banded together to complete his work, and today “Notes to a Violinist” was released - on what would have been his 77th birthday. Violinist Shannon Lee describes their efforts.

KAYA" (2019) for Violin and Piano

Performed by ‪Shannon Lee‬ (Violin) & ‪Antonii Baryshevskyi (Piano)

Originally commissioned by the Oskar Back Vioolconcours (category Oskar Back), "KAYA" has become a significant piece in the contemporary violin and piano repertoire since its premiere in 2019.

Listen to a recording of the seven-movement violin concerto by composer Thierry de Mey, with the Doelen Ensemble in Rotterdam and conductor Jurjen Hempel, on NPO Klassiek.

Listen to a recording from the lovely Wonderfeel Festival in ‘s-Graveland, of Schubert’s A-major Rondo played by Shannon with conductor Johannes Leertouwer and the Wonderfeel Festival Orchestra.

In the past few years, Shannon Lee not only developed her solo and chamber music career on several continents, focusing regularly on contemporary works, but also devoted herself to teaching, recording CDs and founded her own chamber music and composition workshop in Dallas.

Photos from the Sendai Classical Music Festival in October 2023. Shannon played the Sibelius Concerto with the Sendai Philharmonic and conductor Shurihito Matsumoto, as well as Dvorak’s Piano Quartet No. 2 with cellist Tomoshiro Yoshioka, violist Daisuke Inobe, and pianist Yuko Nakamichi.

“21 up-and-coming Canadian string players have been loaned fine instruments for three years”

Shannon received a generous loan of a 1902 Enrico Rocca violin from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank collection.

The 7th SIMC Highest Ranked Prizewinner, Shannon Lee – Album Release

Shannon’s second album was released by the Sendai International Music Competition and Fontec Inc. label on February 8, 2023, with pianist Jessica Osborne. It includes works by Bartók, Takemitsu, Ysaÿe, Liszt, Ernst, and Brahms, and is now available for purchase on Amazon Japan and the Fontec label‘s website.

On December 28, 2019, Shannon made her solo debut with orchestra in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the New York String Orchestra and conductor Jaime Laredo.

In June 2019 Shannon received the 2nd prize at Sendai International Music Competition Violin Section and an audience award from the Semi-Final Round, where she played Bartók Concerto No. 2 and concertmaster excerpts from Brahms and Strauss.

On May 25, 2019, Shannon was awarded 4th Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition – the Prize of the Governments of the Belgian Communities awarded by the Government of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels. More recordings of her performances from the competition and details about her upcoming concerts are available here.