Claire Chaewon Lee is a 15-year-old freshman at the Spence School. She began studying the violin at age 5 and was accepted into the Juilliard Pre-College at age 11, where she currently studies with Elizabeth Chang. Her recent honors include winning the NJIO Young Artist Concerto Competition and the Old York Road Symphony Young Artists Competition, with upcoming solo appearances with both orchestras this fall and next spring, as well as her orchestral debut in Korea last July. Claire has received numerous awards including the Grand Prize at the Harmony for Peace Foundation Competition, Runner-Up (Alternate) at the Capital Philharmonic Youth Concerto Competition, and the Bronze Award at the Bravura Philharmonic Young Artists Concerto Competition. She has also earned top prizes in the Camerata Artists International Competition, New York Laureate International Music Competition, International Grande Music Competition, Opus Music Competition, VIVO International Competition, and Enkor International Competition, as well as an Honorable Mention in the MTNA New York State Junior Division. Claire has performed at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, and presented solo recitals at Juilliard Pre-College in 2025 and 2026. She currently serves as Concertmaster of the Spence Upper School Orchestra and has held principal positions in both the Juilliard Pre-College Symphony Orchestra and String Orchestra. She has participated in masterclasses with distinguished artists including Shunske Sato, Sylvia Danburg Volpe, and Kelly Hall-Tompkins. Claire has spent recent summers at Yellow Barn’s Young Artists Program, the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival and the Heifetz International Music Institute, where she received a merit award. Claire is also actively involved in music outreach initiatives. She is a co-founder of Melodia, a student-led organization supporting young musicians through access to musical resources and supplies. She is also an active member of Clexical, which promotes accessibility to contemporary classical music, and participates in outreach concerts at nursing and rehabilitation centers through the Enob Outreach Concert Series. Outside of music, Claire enjoys math, writing, running, swimming, traveling, and photography.