Founded in 2012, Ondine Press is the exclusive publisher of professional, high quality, unique transcriptions and arrangements by Yoon Jae Lee.

Yoon Jae Lee enjoys a multifaceted career as a conductor, arranger, pianist, and teaching artist. He is the Founder & Artistic Director of Ensemble 212, which has established itself as one of New York’s finest chamber orchestras. Under his leadership, Ensemble 212 has garnered critical acclaim for its innovative programming of works by living composers, exciting interpretations and alternate versions of the standard repertoire, as well as his creative arrangements and transcriptions. Together, they are pioneering the use of social media as the primary platform for their artistic projects—including video productions of new music featuring the haegeum with Soo Yeon Lyuh and winners of their Young Artist Competition—ensuring their work reaches a broad global audience.

Beyond his leadership of Ensemble 212, Mr. Lee maintains an active international schedule. He has served as cover conductor for the Philadelphia Orchestra and recently appeared at the St. Gellert International Music Festival in Hungary, conducting the Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra. His guest conducting portfolio includes engagements with the Bruckner Orchester Linz, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, and ensemble mise-en’s 6th annual new music festival, among others. As a recording artist, he debuted with the Mimesis Ensemble on the Arabesque Records label. He also served as Principal Conductor of the Albano Ballet Company, notably commissioning his chamber arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker.

As an arranger, Mr. Lee’s works have been performed globally by renowned ensembles such as the Baltimore, Phoenix, and Singapore Symphony Orchestras. Praised by audiences and critics alike, The New York Times hailed his chamber version of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony as “illuminating with solos leaping out in unusually bold detail,” while The Philadelphia Inquirer praised his orchestral transcription of Mendelssohn’s Octet for “incorporating winds and brass intelligently.” He is currently working on the Mahler Chamber Project, creating new arrangements of Mahler’s works for chamber orchestra.

A New York City native and 2nd generation Korean-American, Mr. Lee received degrees in piano and conducting from the Mannes School of Music, where he was awarded the N. T. Milani Memorial Conducting Fellowship and the Peter M. Gross Award. He further studied at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria, concurrently serving as Assistant Conductor to the Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie. His principal mentors include Michael Charry, Dennis Russell Davies, David Hayes, and David Zinman.

Mr. Lee has participated in Kurt Masur’s conducting masterclass and the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen. Additionally, his interest in historical performance practice led him to attend the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Mr. Lee has held faculty positions at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, City College of New York, and Haverford College. https://linktr.ee/yjlconductor