Cellist Okkyung Lee is one of the most dynamic forces in improvised music today, a fearless and powerful performer whose playing incorporates a love of noise, extended technique and elements from the outer fringes of contemporary composition.
A native of Korea, Okkyung Lee has been devel­op­ing her own voice in a con­tem­po­rary cello per­for­mance and impro­vi­sa­tion. Using her clas­si­cal train­ing as a spring­board, she incor­po­rates jazz, sounds, Korean tra­di­tional music, and noise with extended techniques.
Since mov­ing to New York in 2000, she has per­formed and recorded with numer­ous artists such as Derek Bai­ley, Jaap Blonk, Nels Cline, Anthony Cole­man, Mark Dresser, Shel­ley Hirsch, Susie Ibarra, Vijay Iyer, Eyvind Kang, Alonzo King, Chris­t­ian Mar­clay, Raz Mesinai, Min Xiao-Fen, Thurston Moore, Ikue Mori, Lawrence D. “Butch” Mor­ris, Jim O’Rourke, Zeena Parkins, Marc Ribot, Marina Rosen­feld, Elliott Sharp and John Zorn to name a few.
Okkyung holds dual bachelor’s degrees in film scoring/contemporary writ­ing & pro­duc­tion from Berklee Col­lege of Music, and master’s degree in con­tem­po­rary impro­vi­sa­tion from New Eng­land Con­ser­va­tory of Music.

Lee, Okkyunglee