Derek Choi and Sarah Lee to perform solos for Sound Garden on January 5!

Posted on November 22, 2023

Tickets are on sale NOW for Camerata PYP: Sound Garden on January 5, 2023 at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.

Don’t miss your chance to explore a gorgeous and vibrant variety of music from the hands of young musicians.

Camerata PYP will perform a stunning range of repertoire spanning many cultures and centuries including Antonio Vivaldi‘s Winter from The Four Seasons featuring PYP’s Derek Choi, Violin, Co-Principal, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky‘s Pezzo Capriccioso Op. 62 for Cello and Orchestra arranged by Selden featuring PYP’s Sarah Lee, cello, Co-Principal.

Learn more about the soloists below!

About Derek

Violinist Derek Choi was appointed Principal Second Violin of the Portland Youth Philharmonic, holding the Doris McCain Loder Chair, in September 2022. A member of the orchestra since 2018, he appears
as soloist in its centennial season performing “Winter” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, with Musical Director David Hattner conducting. He has been featured as soloist on the Barber Violin Concerto with the Oregon Mozart Players and Kelly Kuo, and the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with members of the Oregon Symphony. At the Kennedy Center, his violin solos on Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier Suite were broadcast live, with Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser conducting.

As concertmaster, Derek has worked with conductors Mei-Ann Chen, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, and David Hattner. With the Oregon Symphony, he has performed under Music Director David Danzmayr.
An active chamber musician, he joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic String Quintet in 2022 and has appeared at the Tanglewood Music Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, and the Kennedy Center.

At the Kennedy Center, Derek is a graduate of the National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, where he served as concertmaster of the Summer Music Institute Orchestra. He has been mentored by members of the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra.

Dedicated to expanding the reach of classical music, Derek has served as Executive Director of Project Prelude since June 2022. With regions in the Portland Metropolitan and New York Metropolitan areas, he brings cost-free instrumental music programs to underserved elementary schools while leading a dynamic range of community initiatives. He has advocated for music education to Senator Ron Wyden and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici at the United States Capitol, and has performed outreach concerts in the cities of Washington D.C. and Portland.

A Portland native, Derek began playing the violin at the age of eight. He is a current student of Hae-Jin Kim, and has had additional studies with Charles Castleman and Ko Sugiyama. He is currently a senior at the Catlin Gabel School.

About Sarah

Sarah Lee, age 16, is a Junior at Westview High School. She began playing cello at the age of 8 and currently studies with Hyun-Jin Kim. Sarah is a member of Camerata PYP and the Portland Youth Philharmonic, where she currently serves as principal.

As an active soloist, she was the 1st place winner in the 2022 National Federation of Music Clubs Mary Cox Award, won 1st place at the Eugene Symphony Guild Young Artist Competition, and the 2022 New York International Classical Music Competition. In 2023, She was the State winner of the 2023 OMEA State Solo Contest and State Chamber Ensemble Contest. Sarah was the 1st place winner of the 2023 Oregon MTNA Senior String Performance Competition. She was also the winner of 2023 PYP Concerto Competition, the 2022 Philadelphia International Music Festival Concerto Competition and the 2021 Oregon MTNA Junior String Competition. Additionally, she was awarded first prize in the Best Bach Performance, the Music of Europe of GCC 2021, and won the Platinum Absolute Prize at the 2021 Grand Metropolitan International Music Competition.

She had the privilege of being selected to perform as a soloist with the members of the Oregon Symphony by winning the 2023 MetroArts Young Artists Debut! Competition. She took part in All State Orchestra since freshman year and was honored to have been a part of the 2022 All National Honors Ensembles Symphony Orchestra and All-Northwest Orchestra as principal. She has participated in renowned music camps such as the Philadelphia International Music Camp & Festival, studying with Hai Ye-Ni, International Cello Institute Camp, the Vivace Music Festival, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI), and the Chamber Music Camp of Portland. Sarah has also participated in master classes taught by Norman Fischer, Priscilla Lee, Hannah Roberts, Bonnie Thron, Steven Doane, Rosemary Elliott, Antonio Meneses, and the Catalyst Quartet.

Sarah wants to use her love of music to benefit and heal communities that have yet to experience the joys of music. Through benefit concerts, nursing home performances, and volunteer opportunities, she is slowly making her way towards spreading her love of music. Besides playing cello, Sarah enjoys playing piano, soccer, skiing, reading, and hanging out with her friends.

Learn more about the program and purchase tickets at thereser.org.