American Sketches

November 25, 2024, 6:00 am

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Kristin Lee (Photo: Kevin Hsu)

Violinist Kristin Lee’s debut solo album offers a distinct and recognizable sound of American music and its rich history, encapsulating both Lee’s journey as an American, as well as the journeys of the composers in the United States. A native of Seoul, Korea, Lee was compelled to select repertoire that expresses her pride in the country she now calls her own. Her main collaborator on this album is the Chicago-native pianist, composer, and arranger Jeremy Ajani Jordan. Lee says his “unparalleled ability to play both written and improvised music sets him apart from any other musician I have worked with,” noting “Jeremy improvised through the recording sessions for the arrangements to Gershwin, Joplin, and Monk.” Kristin Lee performs regularly in Chicago with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and as a teaching artist is well-known to students of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy.