Cindy Lee studied piano and composition through some of the most prestigious music education programs in South Korea, attending Sunhwa Arts School and Sunhwa Arts High School, Yonsei University, and Manhattan School of Music in NYC. She received her master’s degree in accompanying from Manhattan School of Music, where she received a merit-based scholarship and the Dean’s Award. Her primary teachers include John Forconi, Chair of Collaborative Piano program at Manhattan School of Music and Dr. Paul Kim, professor at the Long Island University and known as an expert of the French composer Olivier Messiaen.
Cindy Lee won the Korean New Daily Competition at age nine and has performed at prestigious concert halls in the US and Korea, including Carnegie Hall, KBS Hall, and the Seoul Arts Center. She performed as a soloist with Prime Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008 and with INSIEM Philharmonic Orchestra in 2011. In addition to her career as a solo pianist, she has served as a staff accompanying pianist at Manhattan School of Music, UNLV, and as a chief pianist at Seoul Grand Opera Company and Seoul Grand Choir.
Cindy has taught piano performance, collaborative piano, and music theory at Myungji Conservatory, Mokwon University, and Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Korea as an adjunct professor. She was also a teaching faculty at Sunwha Arts Middle/High School and an accompanying faculty at Kyungwon University.
Her book, Accompanying Literature for Pianists, which she wrote for her ‘Collaborative Piano Literature’ class in a college, is being used as a textbook by other professors in Korea. As a music columnist, she wrote weekly for the Las Vegas Korea Times for many years.
As an Artistic Director, Cindy Lee works with various local theatres and performing art centers to create various concert series throughout the year. She also performs Lee Sisters’ duo piano concert series with narration with Yoon Lee (Julliard staff pianist and piano faculty at SUNY Purchase Colleage) and Mina Lee (Musicolgy professor at Duke University). She is actively involved in various other important music festivals and competitions around the state as a teacher and judge. Cindy Lee received the Excellence of Teaching Award from Piano League Piano Star International Competition in 2020.
Cindy Lee currently serves as a Chairperson of Roger Bushell Scholarship Competition and a Co-Chairperson of Silver State Competition. She also serves as a board member of Nevada Music Teachers Association and Las Vegas Music Teachers Association.