Chanmi Sarah Lee is an accomplished solo pianist celebrated for her expressive artistry and refined technique. She has performed at prestigious festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, where she studied with the distinguished pianist Arie Vardi, and the Texas State International Piano Festival. Chanmi has recently participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Joyce Yang, Enrico Elisi, Joseph Rackers, Washington Garcia, Ian Hobson, and Léne Lecuona. She was a semi-finalist at the Spotlight International Piano Competition and has received multiple awards recognizing both her solo and collaborative performances.
Alongside her solo career, Chanmi is a dedicated educator and collaborative musician. She teaches piano at the Community Center for the Arts (C4A) in Urbana–Champaign and serves as a Collaborative Piano Teaching Assistant at the University of Illinois. She also conducts the Solideo Choir at The Korean Church of Champaign–Urbana and previously served as keyboardist at University Baptist Church.
Chanmi is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Piano Performance and Literature at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, with a cognate in Choral Conducting. She earned her Master of Music degree at UIUC as a Langford Fellow, which provided full tuition and a stipend. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music from Seoul National University and also completed studies at Seoul Arts High School and Yewon School in South Korea.
An active chamber musician, she was featured by the International Clarinet Association with The Goodwin Avenue Trio. Her professional recordings include the world-premiere album Where We Go Next, featuring clarinetist Andrew J. Buckley.