Philippine-born pianist Stephen Joven-Lee performs as a soloist and chamber musician in North America and Europe. He teaches in Northwestern University’s Department of Music Theory & Cognition and serves as co-director of the Palmetto International Music Festival.
The Hyde Park Herald has praised his “dazzling virtuosity,” “enthralling sound,” and “wisdom beyond his years.”
An award winner in nearly two dozen competitions, Joven-Lee has appeared at Carnegie Weill Hall, Lincoln Center, Severance Reinberger Hall, and Steinway Hall. He performs regularly at the Dame Myra Hess Concerts, Howland Chamber Music Circle, Fermata Chamber Soloists, and Evanston Chamber Music Society. He is on the Young Artists Roster of the Fil-Am Music Foundation, which sponsored his third and most recent appearance at Carnegie Hall.
Joven-Lee has received the Bowdoin International Music Festival Fellowship several times, as well as the Gijón International Piano Festival Fellowship and Weber Scholarship. These fellowships supported solo concerts and collaborations with members of the Ying Quartet and the Symphony Orchestra of the Principality of Asturias.
Joven-Lee began piano studies at age 10 in the Philippines. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory, where he received the Rudolf Serkin Prize and John Elvin Prize for excellence in piano performance, as well as the Faustina Hurlbutt Prize for outstanding graduating student in piano. He earned his Master of Music at The Juilliard School and was one of eight pianists chosen to compete in the school’s Gina Bachauer Piano Competition. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where he won first place in the Thaviu-Isaak Piano Competition, the piano program’s highest honor. His mentors include Jose Ramon Mendez, Julian Martin, Alvin Chow, Amy Gustafson, Steve Laitz, and Brian Alegant.
Joven-Lee previously taught Music Theory & Ear Training at The Juilliard School and has prepared research and writing for publication by the Juilliard Orchestra. He has given masterclasses at the Manila Pianos Artist Series, Indiana University Blossom Piano Camp, and Palmetto International Music Festival.
Joven-Lee composes and conducts. He has premiered works in Europe and North America, including his own.