5 Minutes With... Min Lee, Singaporean Violinist

Renowned violinist Min Lee will be performing at The String Social on August 26 at the Victoria Concert Hall.

For the past five years, Min Lee has been taking a break from performing on stage to take care of her two children. But if you follow her on Instagram, you’ll find that she’s never really stashed away her violin despite her busy schedule. The renowned Singaporean violinist and program director of Wolfgang Violin Studio, often uses the social media platform to share mini performances with her over 33k followers.

“I love the sense of community I get on Instagram,” she says. “Many of my followers are from countries I’ve not had the chance to visit, but we’re connected by our passion for music and violin.”

This month, Lee is set to perform again after her hiatus. Her much anticipated performance, titled The String Social, is inspired by the how the digital world has shaped our lives, including how it’s brought together music lovers from all over the world. So it’s no surprise that the show will also feature two other musicians—Chloé Trevor and Drew Alexander Forde—who she discovered on Instagram.  

“We’ve never met or heard each other play in person but I’m really looking forward to having them here,” she says. “This is something I’d never imagined being able to do a few years ago, before social media became such a huge part of our daily lives.”

10-year-old Samuel Tan—Min Lee’s protégé—has bagged numerous top prizes over the years, including Outstanding Performer Award at the National Violin Competition in Singapore.

Award-winning solo violinist Chloé Trevor will also be performing at The String Social.

Drew Alexander Forde, having performed in New York City with numerous singer-songwriters, will join Min Lee at The String Social.

Another highlight of the concert is a guest performance by Lee’s 10-year-old protégé, Samuel Tan. Tan, an award-winning violinist, was recently included in a list of Classic FM’s 10 astonishing child prodigies. He’ll perform Sarasate’s Navarra with Lee.

“I played this same piece with my own mentor, Professor Erick Friedman when I was 14,” she recalls. “So it’s very meaningful for me to be playing this with Samuel now. He’s a confident young performer and I hope he’ll always follow his instincts and never lose that spark.”

Just like any other mum, Lee finds it challenging to manage both her professional and personal lives, especially after having her first child. “I took time off after giving birth, as I didn’t want to miss out on those crucial years,” she confesses.

“In the beginning, it was hard to manage my time effectively as I used to procrastinate. Now, I’m better able to arrange my schedule. I consider myself  lucky to have help from my family too.”

Lee can’t hide her excitement about her upcoming performance. “I’ve done some recordings in the years I’ve taken time off to be a mum but there’s nothing quite like performing live for an audience!”

Below, Lee shares more about her biggest accomplishments and most important career lesson so far.

I start my day with… chocolate.
My proudest accomplishment to date… my two children.
Most people don’t know this about me… I'm left handed.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me… at the playground or park.
The one thing people should know about violins… they are the closest thing to a human voice, and some can be super expensive!
The biggest lesson I’ve learnt so far in my career is… to trust my instincts and to heed the advice of those closest to me.
I wish people would stop saying… “kids who have to practice [violin] a lot when they are young are losing their childhoods.” I don’t think that was true for me at all. It wasn’t a “typical” childhood but it was a great one all the same. Yes, I had less time to play with my friends but I also got to travel the world, have master classes with great musicians, and make friends from all over the globe.
In 10 years… I'm not a planner so ask me again in a decade!

Read more of our Up Close with series here.