Artistic leadership

A nominee of the Ontario Arts Council’s Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting, Jennifer Min-Young Lee is a Korean-Canadian conductor, music educator and vocal pedagogue who established herself as a respected and dynamic musical leader in the Toronto music scene.

Committed to choral excellence, Lee has worked with a full spectrum of voices, ranging from children and youth choirs to university, community, and professional choirs. She has served as Artistic Director of Chorus York, a community choir based in York Region, and as Associate Conductor of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, where she conducted season concerts, led Singsation Saturday outreach programs, and prepared the ensemble for regular performances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She has collaborated with numerous ensembles in both Toronto and Rochester, including the Repertory Singers, Eastman Chamber Singers, Bach Cantata Ensemble, University of Rochester Women’s Chorus, Bach Children’s and Youth Choir and Ontario Youth Choir. Equally accomplished in orchestral conducting, Lee made her professional orchestral conducting debut with Orchestra Toronto during the 2015–2016 season, where she served as Assistant Conductor.

As a passionate advocate for music education, Lee is committed to educating and inspiring young musicians. Since 2008, she has been employed as a full-time high school music teacher in York Region District School Board.  She teaches vocal, piano accompanying and instrumental classes, and choral and wind ensembles under her leadership regularly perform and receive recognition at festivals in Canada, United States and Europe. 

Lee holds a Master of Music degree in Conducting from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester where she also completed graduate vocal pedagogy studies. Lee holds Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Western Ontario, London, with additional studies at the University of Toronto. Lee has served as a conducting fellow for the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra in Spain, Allegra International Orchestral Conducting Institute in Bulgaria, Yale School of Music Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Eastman Advanced Conducting Institute, Orchestra Toronto Apprentice Program, and Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Most recently, she completed intensive studies in opera conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Opera Bootcamp. 

Lee currently serves as artistic director of Yemel Philharmonic Society of Toronto and directs music at Young Nak Korean Presbyterian Church.