Trey Lee & English Chamber Orchestra
Biography Trey Lee & English Chamber Orchestra
Trey Lee
Hailed as a “miracle” by Gramophone, Trey Lee enthrals audiences with a virtuosity that combines intellectual sophistication with a profound depth of emotions. His concerto debut at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage won him a standing ovation, with New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini declaring him “the excellent cellist…with enveloping richness and lyrical sensitivity.” The late Lorin Maazel praised him as “a marvellous protagonist…a superb cellist” after conducting Trey with the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Highlights of 2023 and 2024 include touring abroad with the Camerata Salzburg, English Chamber Orchestra, and solo engagements in Vienna, London, Paris, Milan, Budapest, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Trey has worked with notable musicians and groups that include conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Yuri Bashmet, Mikko Franck, Hannu Lintu, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Vassily Sinaisky, Dima Slobodeniouk, the orchestras BBC Philharmonic, Philharmonic Orchestra Radio France, Netherlands Philharmonic, Tapiola Sinfonietta, the Moscow Soloists, and chamber orchestras of London, Munich and Stuttgart.
Seeking to increase the expressive possibilities of the cello, Trey has re-arranged works including Astor Piazzolla’s Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, which he debuted with the Trondheim Soloists. Wang Liping’s The Dream of the Red Chamber Capriccio, co-rearranged by Trey, was premiered by Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2017. Trey has given world premieres of two pieces dedicated to him: Bright Sheng’s The Blazing Mirage (recorded for Naxos) and contemporary Finnish composer Kirmo Lintinen’s Cello Concerto.
Trey is a laureate of major international competitions, including First Prize at the International Antonio Janigro Cello Competition. His debut and recital albums under EMI were met with critical acclaim. Numerous media outlets have featured Trey, including a recital recorded for Deutsche Welle during the Covid lockdown. His latest album, Seasons Interrupted, in collaboration with the English Chamber Orchestra is being released by Signum Records in May 2024.
The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO)
is the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world, its discography containing 860 recordings of over 1,500 works by more than 400 composers.
The ECO has also performed in more countries than any other orchestra, and played with many of the world’s greatest musicians. The American radio network CPRN has selected ECO as one of the world’s greatest ‘living’ orchestras. The illustrious history of the orchestra features many major musical figures. Benjamin Britten was the orchestra’s first Patron and a significant musical influence.
The ECO’s long relationship with Daniel Barenboim led to an acclaimed complete cycle of Mozart piano concertos as live performances and recordings, followed later by two further recordings of the complete cycle, with Murray Perahia and Mitsuko Uchida.
The Orchestra has been chosen to record many successful film soundtracks including Dario Marianelli’s prizewinning scores for Atonement and Pride and Prejudice, and several James Bond soundtracks, and has taken part in a variety of other film and television projects.
