Apollo Lee

Dr. Apollo Lee is a sought-after trumpeter and educator based in central Illinois. He serves on the faculties of Millikin University, the University of Illinois Springfield, and Lincoln Land Community College. Active in classical music, opera, ballet, film music, and musical theater, Dr. Lee has performed in concert halls throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.

Currently, he is principal trumpet of the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he served as principal trumpet of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. As a guest musician, Dr. Lee has performed with numerous distinguished ensembles, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Macau Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphoria, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic, Cape Symphony Orchestra, and Plymouth Philharmonic.

Dr. Lee has also performed with the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia and toured with the internationally acclaimed Eastman Wind Ensemble, appearing at the Midwest Clinic in Chicago and Severance Music Center in Cleveland. In 2017, he was invited to Malaysia as guest principal trumpet of the Malaysia Bach Festival Orchestra.

An accomplished soloist, Dr. Lee has been featured in performances of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Copland’s Quiet City with the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) Concert Band, and trumpet concertos by Malcolm Arnold and Antonio Vivaldi with the HKAPA Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared in American Soundscapes: Music for Cello, Trumpet, and Piano, a chamber music program broadcast live on WXXI Classical from the Hochstein School in Rochester, New York.

As a scholar, Dr. Lee’s research focuses on historical performance practice. In 2021, he presented at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, delivering a lecture on cornet virtuoso Bohumir Kryl and the significance of Kryl’s recordings in understanding nineteenth-century performance traditions.

An experienced and dedicated educator, Dr. Lee has presented masterclasses and lecture-recitals at institutions including Bucknell University, Concordia College, Illinois Wesleyan University, the University of Illinois Springfield, and Nazareth College. He previously served as Secondary Trumpet Lesson Instructor at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester, and as trumpet faculty at the Hochstein School.

Prior to relocating to the United States, Dr. Lee held numerous teaching positions in Hong Kong and Macau. These included trumpet instructor at the Education Institute of Hong Kong (now the Education University of Hong Kong), band conductor and brass instructor at S.K.H. Bishop Baker Secondary School, high brass instructor at Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College and Chinese Methodist School North Point, and private trumpet instructor for the Macau Youth Orchestra Association.

Dr. Lee holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a Master of Music degree in Trumpet Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate in 2019. He also earned a Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and a Graduate Performance Diploma in Trumpet Performance from the Boston Conservatory. His principal teachers have included James Thompson, Edward Hoffman, Steven Emery, Boyde Hood, Jonathan Clarke, Merrill Debski, and Amos Lee.