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See verismoduo.wix.com/verismoduo for more info.
The Verismo Duo is a viola and piano duo featuring two sisters and Bay Area natives, Sarah and Jennifer Lee, that pushes the boundaries of “realism”. The duo began playing together in 2015 post-graduation. “Verismo”, from the Italian vero meaning “true”, refers to an opera genre of contemporary and realistic matter that often brings out the emotionalism and passion in each singer’s interpretations. Verismo Duo offers audiences themed concerts that convey different perspectives of real, relevant matter of today and music that can serve each person’s individual needs of reflection, healing, and interest. Verismo Duo strives to bring versatility to different audiences in the Bay Area through creating diverse programs, beginning with a program titled “Fantasy”, which offers an escape from realism.
Sarah Lee is an avid performer in the Bay Area. A recent graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) with a Master’s of Music, she studied with Jodi Levitz and performed Bartok String Quartet No. 3 with faculty member cellist, Jean-Michel Fonteneau. Sarah received her Bachelor’s of Music degree from Indiana University under the tutelage of Stephen Wyrczynski where she received high awards: the Premier Young Artist, A.W. Mason Music Scholarship, Recipient Friends of Music IUF Scholarship, Premier Young Artist Award, Faculty Award, and Recipient of SFCM Phyllis Wattis Scholarship. Not limited to performing traditional classical music, she enjoys premiering new pieces. In 2014, she premiered Emma Logan’s piece, “Tangent,” for the Viola Project at SFCM and the year before, she premiered William Bryant’s “A San Francisco Evening” at IU.
Sarah currently substitutes on viola with the Stockton Symphony and performs with other Bay Area ensembles such as Opera Parallele and the Lucky Devils Band. For her love in orchestral playing, she was in San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) under the baton of Benjamin Schwartz and California Youth Symphony (CYS) with conductor, Leo Eylar, where she toured Japan for two weeks. She led as Principal Viola at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, National Music Festival, and the Orchestra Institute of Napa Valley. Other festivals she participated in include National Repertory Orchestra, Kent/ Blossom Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival.
Jennifer Lee, also invited to attend Kent/Blossom Music Festival for two seasons on a full scholarship, performed with The Cleveland Orchestra and the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra on piano and celeste. Her initial interest in orchestral playing began when she was keyboardist of the SFSYO, performing with conductor, Edwin Outwater, in such venues as the Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She participated with the percussion ensemble, the festival orchestra, and premiered new works in the Collaborative Artist Program of the Aspen Music Festival. Jennifer received a Master’s of Music of Piano Performance and Chamber Music Emphasis from IU and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Rice University, studying with sought-after pedagogues, Robert Roux and Shigeo Neriki. While at IU, she was awarded the coveted Dean’s Scholarship and Artistic Excellence Award. While at IU, she performed with the New Music Ensemble and the Bloomington Camerata Orchestra, among other ensembles under conductors David Effron, Cliff Colnot, and David Zinman.
Jennifer also garnered top prizes in the CAPMT Bartok Festival State Finals Competition, the Burlingame Music Club Competition, Ross McKee Competition, and the Fremont Symphony Young Artists Concerto Competition She performed the Mozart Piano Concerto K. 488 with the IU ad hoc orchestra and as a guest artist in the Helen von Ammon Emerging Artist Series at the Noontime Concert Series. Recently, she has performed with members of the Alexander String Quartet in San Francisco.
The Verismo Duo is a viola and piano duo featuring two sisters and Bay Area natives, Sarah and Jennifer Lee, that pushes the boundaries of “realism”. The duo began playing together in 2015 post-graduation. “Verismo”, from the Italian vero meaning “true”, refers to an opera genre of contemporary and realistic matter that often brings out the emotionalism and passion in each singer’s interpretations. Verismo Duo offers audiences themed concerts that convey different perspectives of real, relevant matter of today and music that can serve each person’s individual needs of reflection, healing, and interest. Verismo Duo strives to bring versatility to different audiences in the Bay Area through creating diverse programs, beginning with a program titled “Fantasy”, which offers an escape from realism.
Sarah Lee is an avid performer in the Bay Area. A recent graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) with a Master’s of Music, she studied with Jodi Levitz and performed Bartok String Quartet No. 3 with faculty member cellist, Jean-Michel Fonteneau. Sarah received her Bachelor’s of Music degree from Indiana University under the tutelage of Stephen Wyrczynski where she received high awards: the Premier Young Artist, A.W. Mason Music Scholarship, Recipient Friends of Music IUF Scholarship, Premier Young Artist Award, Faculty Award, and Recipient of SFCM Phyllis Wattis Scholarship. Not limited to performing traditional classical music, she enjoys premiering new pieces. In 2014, she premiered Emma Logan’s piece, “Tangent,” for the Viola Project at SFCM and the year before, she premiered William Bryant’s “A San Francisco Evening” at IU.
Sarah currently substitutes on viola with the Stockton Symphony and performs with other Bay Area ensembles such as Opera Parallele and the Lucky Devils Band. For her love in orchestral playing, she was in San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) under the baton of Benjamin Schwartz and California Youth Symphony (CYS) with conductor, Leo Eylar, where she toured Japan for two weeks. She led as Principal Viola at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Indiana University, National Music Festival, and the Orchestra Institute of Napa Valley. Other festivals she participated in include National Repertory Orchestra, Kent/ Blossom Music Festival, and Aspen Music Festival.
Jennifer Lee, also invited to attend Kent/Blossom Music Festival for two seasons on a full scholarship, performed with The Cleveland Orchestra and the Kent/Blossom Chamber Orchestra on piano and celeste. Her initial interest in orchestral playing began when she was keyboardist of the SFSYO, performing with conductor, Edwin Outwater, in such venues as the Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She participated with the percussion ensemble, the festival orchestra, and premiered new works in the Collaborative Artist Program of the Aspen Music Festival. Jennifer received a Master’s of Music of Piano Performance and Chamber Music Emphasis from IU and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Rice University, studying with sought-after pedagogues, Robert Roux and Shigeo Neriki. While at IU, she was awarded the coveted Dean’s Scholarship and Artistic Excellence Award. While at IU, she performed with the New Music Ensemble and the Bloomington Camerata Orchestra, among other ensembles under conductors David Effron, Cliff Colnot, and David Zinman.
Jennifer also garnered top prizes in the CAPMT Bartok Festival State Finals Competition, the Burlingame Music Club Competition, Ross McKee Competition, and the Fremont Symphony Young Artists Concerto Competition She performed the Mozart Piano Concerto K. 488 with the IU ad hoc orchestra and as a guest artist in the Helen von Ammon Emerging Artist Series at the Noontime Concert Series. Recently, she has performed with members of the Alexander String Quartet in San Francisco.
