We’re looking forward to our summer festival! Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce each artist performing in our 36th season. Cellist Priscilla Lee will play on July 30th.
Lee made her solo debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1998; became an Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient in 2005; and joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2016, where she is still Associate Principal Cello. Her return to Kingston to perform Johannes Brahms’s String Sextet No.1 in B-flat Major, Op.18 marks one of her favorite parts of being a musician, though. “Playing chamber music is my favorite thing to do because I get to play with my amazingly talented friends,” she says. “There is a special bond we have with each other and it doesn’t matter if we played five years ago or 15 years ago. We just pick up where we left off and it’s so familiar and fun.”
Of this piece, Dr. James Wells writes: “String sextets were neither ordinary or customary among Classical or Romantic composers, so it is special to hear this 1860 work by Brahms, who demonstrated his powerful fluency in both traditional and Romantic music through the Sextet’s four movements. He utilized pairs of instruments masterfully, and maintained a balance in timbre despite the additional ‘weight’ to the lower voices that two cellos and violas bring to the sound.”
Get to know Priscilla!
Q. How do you handle nerves before performing
A. I try to be as prepared as possible – visualizing helps a lot as well.
What’s at the top of your bucket list?
I want to go to Hawaii!
What do you always bring with you when you travel?
My Kindle. I love reading books.
What are the top three songs on your playlist?
Currently: Joni Mitchell’s California, Brandi Carlile’s Right on Time, and Taylor Swift’s Anti-Hero
Favorite quote/personal life motto:
Be sure to love what you do, love it so much that you’ll work hard to be good at it.
What is a little known fact about you?
I’m very good at playing Tetris.
Best advice you have ever received:
Wear sunscreen.
What would you do if you weren’t a musician?
I have no idea! Maybe pursue a career playing Tetris? 😉
What’s your favorite food?
I love all foods except ketchup.
