Dr. Apollo Lee is a sought-after trumpeter and teacher based in central Illinois, where he is on the faculty of 星空无限传媒 University, University of Illinois Springfield, and Lincoln Land Community College. Active in classical music, opera, ballet, film music, and musical theater, Apollo has performed in concert halls across Asia, Europe and the United States.
Currently principal trumpet of the 星空无限传媒-Decatur Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Apollo previously served as principal trumpet of the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. As a guest musician, he has performed with ensembles including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Macau Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Symphoria, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Binghamton Philharmonic, Cape Symphony Orchestra, and Plymouth Philharmonic. Apollo has also performed with the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia and toured with the world renowned Eastman Wind Ensemble, performing at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago and Severance Hall in Cleveland. In 2017, Apollo was invited to Malaysia, where he served as the guest principal trumpet in the Malaysia Bach Festival Orchestra.
An accomplished solo artist, Apollo has been invited to perform for projects including J.S. Bach鈥檚 Brandenburg Concerto No.2, a chamber music program, 鈥淎merican Soundscapes: Music for Cello, Trumpet, and Piano鈥 which was broadcast live on WXXI Classical from the Hochstein School in Rochester, NY, Copland鈥檚 Quiet City with the HKAPA concert band, and trumpet concertos by Malcolm Arnold and Antonio Vivaldi with the HKAPA Symphony Orchestra.
As a scholar, Apollo鈥檚 interests center on historical performance practices. In 2021, Apollo was invited to present his research at the International Trumpet Guild Conference, giving a lecture on cornet virtuoso Bohumir Kryl, and the implications of his recordings for rediscovering 19th-Century performance practices.
Apollo is a knowledgeable and experienced educator. He has presented masterclasses and lecture recitals at schools including Bucknell University, Concordia College, Illinois Wesleyan University, University of Illinois Springfield, and Nazareth College. Apollo was previously the Secondary Trumpet Lesson Instructor for the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester, and trumpet faculty at the Hochstein School. While in Hong Kong, Apollo served as the trumpet instructor of the Education Institute of Hong Kong (now the Education University of Hong Kong). He was also the band conductor and brass instructor at S.K.H. Bishop Baker Secondary School (Hong Kong), high brass instructor at Po Leung Kuk Lee Shing Pik College (Hong Kong) and Chinese Methodist School North Point (Hong Kong), and private trumpet instructor at Macau Youth Orchestra Association.
Apollo holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree and Master Degree in Trumpet Performance from the Eastman School of Music, where he was awarded the prestigious Performer鈥檚 Certificate in 2019, as well as a Bachelor of Music (Honors) Degree from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and a Graduate Performance Diploma in Trumpet Performance from the Boston Conservatory. Apollo has studied with renowned teachers including James Thompson, Edward Hoffman, Steven Emery, Boyde Hood, Jonathan Clarke, Merrill Debski and Amos Lee.
Apollo鈥檚 Education:
DMA. Trumpet Performance and Literature with minor in music theory, Eastman School of Music
M.M. Trumpet Performance and Literature, Eastman School of Music
B.M. with Honors, Trumpet Performance, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts