Steinway artist Donna Lee made her solo debut in 1990 with the National Symphony Orchestra at Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall and has since enjoyed a vibrant solo and collaborative career with appearances spanning across the US, Europe and Asia. Her performances have been described by critics as elegant and refined (Il Fronimo, Italy), engaging (WCLV-Cleveland) and brilliant (Iwate Daily News, Japan). Among her recording output is Felix Mendelssohn’s Complete Works for Cello and Piano with cellist Keith Robinson, which Fanfare Magazine called, “…quite simply, amazing.”
An avid chamber musician, Donna is known for her innovative collaborative programs including art and dance. She performs frequently with husband, clarinetist Daniel Gilbert, and together, they have performed throughout the United States and Asia with recent engagements in Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island and Chengdu, China. An acclaimed artist-teacher, Donna was inducted, in 2021, into the Steinway & Sons Teacher Hall of Fame, a prestigious designation recognizing the work of North America’s most committed and passionate piano teachers. That same year, she received a Distinguished Teaching Award from Kent State University, the institution’s highest honor, where she serves on faculty as Professor and Coordinator of Piano.
During the summers, Donna is artist-faculty and Coordinator of Piano at Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Donna Lee earned her degrees from Peabody Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and University of Maryland, where she studied with esteemed artist-teachers Julian Martin, the late Rudolf Firkušný and Thomas Schumacher, respectively.
