Student from Farmington High School is 2020 recipient

(Rochester, MI) The Rochester Symphony Orchestra (RSO) is proud to announce the winner of its annual Young Artist Competition. Violinist Susie Lee, 17, a senior at Farmington High School, captured the title for 2020. 

She has played with the Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra since her freshman year of high school and won the 2020 Dearborn Youth Symphony Concerto Competition. She also won the CYE Concerto Competition in 2018, and took first place in her division in 2016, 2018 and 2019 at the Farmington Musicale. Her winnings also include first place at the AGM Concerto Competition in the senior division, an Honorable Mention from the Toledo Symphony Young Artist Competition, and a first place honor in the district and the state in 2017 for her music composition for the PTA Reflections. In 2016, Lee earned second place in the Sejong National Music Competition. 

Lee was named concertmaster for her school’s symphony orchestra for two years and was awarded the Orchestra Musicianship award those same two years. She also was the co-concertmaster for the Dearborn Youth Symphony and the concertmaster for her church’s youth orchestra. Lee also has been part of the MSBOA All State Orchestra and a MYAF Outstanding Soloist nominee.

Lee began playing violin at the age of 5. Susie Lee is a student at the University of Michigan.

As winner of the 2020 Young Artist Competition sponsored by the RSO, Lee received $1,000 and an opportunity to perform with the RSO at its season finale concert on Friday, May 15. 

The event also includes entertainment and a silent auction for springtime items. Cost is $40 a person. Please make your reservations early as space is limited to 60 guests. To reserve your seat, call 248.656.0599 by Tuesday, March 24. The tea will take place at Rochester Community House, located at 816 Ludlow Avenue in Rochester.

Symphony of Style Fashion Show

The Rochester Symphony Guild will host this event on Thursday, May 6 from 11 am to 3 pm, at Great Lakes Country Club, located at 777 Great Oaks Blvd in Rochester. The Peppertree fashion boutique in Rochester will conduct the fashion show. The day also includes a luncheon and boutique for shopping. Proceeds benefit the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. Tickets are $55. To make a reservation, call 248.933.8845 by Wednesday, April 22.

Spring Concert

The RSO’s season finale on Friday, May 15 offers music for everyone! It begins with Glinka’s Overture into Ruslan and Ludmilla, followed by the classic songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein with local soloists Alta and Drake Dantzler, as well as the annual performance of the Young Artist Competition winner. The concert will take place from 8 pm to 10 pm, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, located at 620 Romeo Rd in Rochester. Tickets are $5 for students and $25 for adults.

For more information on the RSO, visit its website at RochesterSymphony.com, or email info@rochestersymphony.com.

Enriching the cultural experiences available in the Greater Rochester area, through excellence in symphonic music, is at the heart of the mission of the RSO.