Praised by the La Jolla Light for her “warmth” and “musical integrity”, 25 year old Korean-American cellist Julia-Hyunji Lee is passionate about creating authentic connections and relationships through her love of music. She is a prize winner of the Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition, recipient of the Mary Alice Cox Award, first prize at the FFMC competition, and finalist of the Barbash J.S. Bach International Competition. As a soloist she has performed with the Ocala Symphony, Alachua County Symphony, and University of Florida Chamber Orchestra. Julia has been presented in performances by the Music in the Vineyards Festival in Napa Valley, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, Montage Music Society, Santa Fe College of Fine Arts, Core Memory Chamber Music, Dame Myre Hess Series, and Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival. Deeply enthusiastic about collaboration, Julia has had the pleasure of performing alongside renowned artists such as Clive Greensmith, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Bion Tsang, Catherine Cho, Ara Gregorian, Robert McDonald, Inon Barnatan, Blake Pouliot, Merry Peckham, and Molly Carr across various international stages.
Julia received a Bachelor of Music at The Juilliard School where she studied with Darrett Adkins and a Master of Music at Juilliard where she studied with the late Joel Krosnick under a C.V Starr Scholarship. She also studied baroque cello performance with Robert Mealy during her time at Juilliard. She is extremely grateful for her previous mentors, Wendy Warner and Chungsun Kim. In her free time, Julia enjoys practicing yoga and spending time with her cat, Clover.

Umi Garrett is a highly accomplished solo and chamber pianist, having performed numerous recitals in the United States and internationally. Most recently, she performed Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time with principal members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra including Danny Jin, John Sharp, and Stephen Williamson at the University of Chicago, and performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall in collaboration with double bassist Nina Bernat. She was also recently featured on Interlochen Public Radio as part of a chamber music residency with Viridian Strings. She has performed regularly through presenters such as the Clark Art Institute, the Dame Myra Hess Series, Bay Chamber Concerts, and the Chopin Foundation of the United States. Umi has performed and toured with orchestras such as the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony and Pops, Symphony Boca Raton, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Wuhan Symphony Orchestra, and the New Mexico Philharmonic.

Umi was awarded first prize at The Juilliard School’s Concerto Competition, fourth prize at the 2020 National Chopin Piano Competition, and awarded the John Newmark Prize for Best Collaborative Pianist for her performances with finalist Nathan Meltzer at the 2023 Montreal International Violin Competition. She has also collaborated with prize-winners at renowned competitions such as the Queen Elisabeth Competition for Violin, Primrose International Viola Competition, the Naumburg International Cello Competition, and the Sphinx Competition. During the summers, Umi is a Staff Collaborative Pianist for the Program for Piano and Strings at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, under the leadership of Artistic Director Midori.

Umi has released three solo albums and released her debut chamber album in 2024 of the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas under PARMA Recordings. Umi has received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Piano Performance at the Juilliard School where she was a recipient of the Kovner Fellowship, and previously served as a Collaborative Piano Fellow at the Yale School of Music. She is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at The Juilliard School with Hung-Kuan Chen and Shai Wosner. Umi is a Young Steinway Artist.