Hailed as a “miracle” by Gramophone, Trey Lee enthralls audiences with a virtuosity that combines intellectual sophistication with a profound depth of emotions. His latest album, Seasons Interrupted, recorded with the English Chamber Orchestra for Signum Records, met with critical acclaim with BBC Music Magazine describing his performance “an exquisite delivery of the melody” with “an intoxicating intimacy“. The late Lorin Maazel praised him as “a marvelous protagonist…a superb cellist” after conducting Trey with the Philharmonia Orchestra. His concerto debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage won him a standing ovation, with New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini declaring him “the excellent cellist…with enveloping richness and lyrical sensitivity“.
Highlights of the 2024 season include a tour with Camerata Salzburg, English Chamber Orchestra, and solo engagements in Vienna, London, Paris, Milan, Budapest, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Trey has worked with notable musicians and groups that include conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yuri Bashmet, Mikko Franck, Hannu Lintu, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Vassily Sinaisky, Dima Slobodeniouk, BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonic Orchestra Radio France, Netherlands Philharmonic, Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Moscow Soloists, and chamber orchestras of London, Munich and Stuttgart.
Seeking to increase the expressive possibilities of the cello, Trey has re-arranged works including Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, which he debuted with the Trondheim Soloists. Wang Liping’s The Dream of the Red Chamber Capriccio, co-arranged by Trey, was premiered by Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Trey has given world premieres of two pieces dedicated to him: Bright Sheng’s The Blazing Mirage (recorded for Naxos) and contemporary Finnish composer Kirmo Lintinen’s Cello Concerto.
Trey is a laureate of major international competitions, including First Prize at the International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition. Numerous media outlets have featured Trey, including a recital recorded for Deutsche Welle during the Covid lockdown. As an ambassador of UNICEF Hong Kong, he shared the stage with Yoko Ono and Hugh Jackman at the UN General Assembly Hall to promote children’s rights in launching The IMAGINE Project.
