Juhan (Tony) Lee with Matthew Kim at the National Trumpet Competition
Juhan (Tony) Lee — a sixth-grader at Santiago Elementary School — has become the youngest winner of the U.S. National Trumpet Competition (Junior Division), taking home the prestigious award earlier this month in Houston.
Under the guidance of world-renowned trumpeter Professor Matthew Kim, Juhan began playing the trumpet at the age of eight.
In his first year, Juhan won the grand prize at the New York International Music Competition. The following year, he took home the top prize at the New York Masters International Competition and was invited as a guest artist at the 2021 Seoul International S&C Rising Star Concert.
In 2022, Juhan received a special award for being the youngest competitor at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, and became the principal of the junior band at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, one of the world’s top three summer music festivals.
Juhan has been the principal trumpet for the Junior Chamber Music in California since 2021, and performs as the principal trumpet for the San Diego Youth Symphony, which is one of America’s top youth orchestras.
He made his debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 10 as a soloist. Last year, he won both the Bellflower Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and the Southern California Philharmonic Young Artist Competition, subsequently performing with each orchestra. Next year, Juhan will enroll at the Orange County School of the Arts.
We want to congratulate Juhan (and Professor Kim) on a remarkable career that has only just begun. We at Irvine Community News & Views look forward to updating our readers on Juhan’s continued success.
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