Today we’d like to introduce you to Haerim Liz Lee.
Hi Haerim Liz, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a violinist, a teacher, and an artistic director. I am originally from Daejeon, South Korea and I started playing violin when I was 5 years old. I remember watching a violinist play on PBS on TV and becoming totally obsessed! I was also jealous that my older brothers were allowed to play the violin while I was “too young”. I begged my parents to allow me to learn the violin and they finally gave in to my wishes when I was 5 years old.
When I was 13 years old, I made a decision to attend an arts high school called the University of North Carolina School of the Arts to pursue a life in music. It was a life-altering decision as it meant staying in the U.S. by myself while my family moved back to Korea. Since then, I have studied, worked, and lived in Boston, Houston, Macon, Ann Arbor, Paris, and New York.
I currently teach violin at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX and I am the Co-Artistic Director of Innsbrook Institute at the Innsbrook Resort, MO. I feel so lucky to be able to live out my dreams as a violinist, teacher, and artistic director.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A musician’s path is never a smooth road! There were so many difficult moments that made me question if I really wanted to pursue this field, but at the end of the day, the answer was always yes. As an artist, you pour everything into this craft, but it is a subjective field in many ways. Some will respond well to you and some will not. There is so much that you cannot control.
You have to have faith in yourself, believe that you have something unique to offer, and be persistent! You can never give up on your goals! And of course, you grow to have very thick skin! I recall moments when I did not win a competition or get into the programs that I wanted. Naturally, at the time I was devastated, but now, I can truly say that everything happens the way it is supposed to. Time and time again, what I thought was a failure opened doors to another path that I could have never imagined otherwise.
The unexpected path always ended up being an incredible life-changing opportunity. The challenges I faced also helped me evolve as a person and an artist and helped in providing a moment of reflection and clarity on what I truly wanted to accomplish. Nowadays, when things do not go as I expect, I am not disappointed, and in many ways, I welcome it! I know that something better is coming right up!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a violinist, teacher, and artist director. I am truly equally passionate about all three parts of my life. I love performing as a soloist and in ensembles. I live for the moments on stage and love taking musical risks and taking my audience on a musical journey. I also love collaborating with different types of art forms and frequently work with dancers.
As a classically trained violinist, I feel fortunate that I have been able to work with some of the greatest teachers in the world and I feel passionate about passing on the knowledge I have acquired with the next generation of violinists. I aim to be the type of teacher that I personally wished for when I was growing up and try my best to work with each of my students to find the best solution to their questions and issues. I try to help them realize their dreams and goals in life and recognize that everyone has different needs. It is an incredibly fulfilling job and I love my students!
I am classically trained, but I have always loved and admired so many genres of music. This is what inspired me to become an artistic director as I wanted to provide a platform for other great artists. It is so inspiring to witness talent expressed through different instruments and styles. I am an artistic director at Innsbrook Institute where I program the concerts and invite artists and also am the director of MoKo Musik (Modern Korean Music) which is a mixed ensemble of traditional Korean instruments and modern Western instruments.
In both roles, my goal is to introduce new and different music and perspective to the audience by sharing its beauty and story. It is such a joy to witness people falling in love with the music they have never heard before and to deepen their connection to music. My vision for Innsbrook Institute is to invite the best of the best of various genres for our community. For example, this past fall, we invited Classical, Broadway, and Bluegrass musicians to Innsbrook Resort.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I am here today thanks to the incredible mentors and supporters in my life. There are many, but I will mention a few. First of all, I am grateful for my family. My two older brothers have been my biggest role models and inspiration. They have shown me that through hard work and a great idea, anything is possible. They both worked very hard in their own respectable paths, which started out in a more traditional career (medicine and law).
Over time, they became entrepreneurial and innovative and it has led them to lead a life with more creative control. I have been inspired by them to be proactive in creating the life that I want and the impact I would like to make in the world. My parents have supported my dreams and desire to become a violinist and have loved me unconditionally in this rocky path. I would not be here without my family’s encouragement and support.
There are people who come into your lives who truly change your life and the direction you are in. I am thankful for my former teacher from the University of Michigan and also now my colleague, David Halen, the Concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony and the Artistic Director at Innsbrook Institute. Not many people take a chance on a young person starting out in their career. He gave me my first big opportunity to organize concerts and I absolutely fell in love with it.
Since then, we have invited world-renowned musicians of different genres to Innsbrook, have evolved the concert series, and have built a beautiful community of artists and music lovers! It truly is the highlight of my year to be at Innsbrook, to be in a gorgeous setting, and to share beautiful music with our community. It is a dream come true and I am so grateful to David Halen for this opportunity!
Another important mentor in my life was my violin teacher Suzanne Gessner in Paris. She recently passed away, but I would absolutely not be the musician or person I am today without her. She was my biggest cheerleader! The lessons I learned were beyond the technical aspects of the violin as she always encouraged me to speak about my dreams and aspirations. She taught me to have the courage and faith to believe in myself and that I could succeed in anything I put my mind to. I will forever cherish this gift she gave to me.
Contact Info:
- Email: haerimelizabethviolin@gmail.com
- Website: www.lizleeviolin.com
- Instagram: @lizleeviolin
- Facebook: lizleeviolin
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7sAXH2f7CwnxByRqB5MQHX?si=6p-cfqAhSEGuN9zj1MgGWA
Image Credits
Sam Gold
