Ravinia 2026 Issue 3

EARL LEE Winner of the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee has emerged as one of the most compelling and versatile artists of his generation. He has led many of the world’s foremost orchestras, in- cluding the New York and Seoul Philharmonics and Boston, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Atlanta Symphonies. In August , Lee received critical praise stepping in on short no- tice to replace Zubin Mehta in the Boston Sym- phony’s performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. at Tanglewood. In the – season, Lee’s engagements included return appearances with the Calgary Philharmonic and Toronto and Boston Symphonies, as well as debuts with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a special proj- ect with the Museum of Contemporary Art. As music director of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, Lee has revitalized the ensemble’s artistic vision with programming that bridges tradition and innovation. Under his direction, the Ann Arbor Symphony has presented bold repertoire alongside genre-crossing collabo- rations with artists such as Jacob Collier and Chris ile, broadening the ensemble’s reach and musical scope. Beyond Ann Arbor, Lee has worked with many composers including Unsuk Chin, Tod Machover, Donghoon Shin, Katherine Balch, and Carlos Simon, conducting works by these leading voices of our time and giving world premieres of new compositions by Machover and Balch. rough these collab- orations, he continues to champion music that expands the expressive range of the modern orchestra. Lee has been mentored by Andris Nelsons, Manfred Honeck, Hugh Wol , Pe- ter Oundjian, Bernard Haitink, and Kurt Ma- sur,with whom he studied privately in Leipzig, focusing on the life and music of Felix Men- delssohn. A former cellist trained at the Curtis Institute, Juilliard, and the Marlboro Music Fes- tival, Lee brings a chamber musician’s sense of communication, listening, and shared purpose to every performance, seeking to create music that is both uni ed and deeply expressive. Earl Lee was a fellow in Ravinia’s Steans Insti- tute Piano & String Program and tonight he makes his rst return to the festival to make his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut. STELLACHEN American violinist Stella Chen rst gained in- ternational recognition as the winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competi- tion. Her critically acclaimed debut album Stel- la X Schubert , released in on Apple Music’s Platoon label, earned her Young Artist of the Year honors at the Gramophone Awards. Chen has performed across North America, Europe, and Asia in concerto, recital, and chamber mu- sic settings. She recently made debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and the Orches- tra of St. Luke’s. Her performances have taken her to some of the world’s most iconic venues, including Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and Berlin’s Philharmonie. She appears frequently with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, both in New York and on tour. Highlights of Chen’s – sea- son included concerto debuts with the Van- couver, Cincinnati, and Antwerp Symphony Orchestras, and an American tour with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, including a per- formance at Carnegie Hall. She gave recital and chamber music performances at La Jolla Mu- sic Society, Chamber Music San Francisco, and held a residency at San Francisco Conservatory. A dedicated chamber musician, Chen has been featured at festivals including the Kronberg Academy, Moritzburg Festival, Seattle Cham- ber Music Society, Perlman Music Program, Music@Menlo, Bridgehampton, Rockport, and Sarasota Music Festival, where she returned as faculty in . Chen was the inaugural recip- ient of the Robert Levin Award from Harvard University, where she was mentored and in- spired by the the namesake pianist and scholar. She received her doctorate from the Juilliard School, where she was recently appointed to the College Division String Faculty. She also serves as Visiting Assistant Professor at the Shenan- doah Conservatory and is on the faculty of the Nume Festival and Academy in Cortona, Italy. Stella Chen rst appeared at Ravinia as a Steans Institute Piano & String Program fellow in and , and she made her Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut at the festival in . She has also returned for chamber music performances in , , and . NAVYBANDGREAT LAKES Navy Band Great Lakes’ Wind Ensemble com- prises active-duty musicians under the direction of Lt. David Harbuziuk. is ensemble upholds the legacy of its famous bandmaster, Lt Cdr. John Philip Sousa, by continuing the tradition of military music throughout the Midwest. e Wind Ensemble’s repertoire consists of classic concert band literature, patriotic music, march- es, pop music arrangements, and vocal features. As the musical “Ambassadors to the Midwest,” the Navy Band Great Lakes Wind Ensemble tells the Navy’s story, celebrates years of ser- vice to our nation, and reaches audiences that do not have opportunities to see Sailors on a regular basis. In addition to public outreach concerts, units from Navy Band Great Lakes also provide military support across the region, including serving Commander, Naval Service Training Command’s mission of transforming volunteers into st-century Sea Warriors by performing each week for recruits, Sailors, and their families at basic training graduations. Lt. Harbuziuk, a native of Naperville, IL, enlisted in the Navy in as a trumpet in- strumentalist. A er attending the Naval School of Music in Virginia Beach, VA, he served as trumpeter, drum major, audition coordinator, ceremonial band conductor and unit leader, Leading Petty O cer, and Operations Petty Of- cer with Navy Band Northeast in Newport, RI, and Navy Band Southwest in San Diego. In December , Harbuziuk earned his com- mission as a bandmaster through the Limited Duty O cer program. His assignments have included tours as Assistant Fleet Bandmaster with US Paci c Fleet Band in Pearl Harbor, HI; Specialty Groups Department Head with US Navy Band in Washington, DC; and Director of Navy Band Northeast. He assumed duties as Di- rector of Navy Band Great Lakes in March . In addition to his military assignments, Harbu- ziuk studied music education and trumpet per- formance at Baylor University before earning a BM in composition from DePaul University and MMs in music theory from Baylor Uni- versity and brass performance from the Uni- versity of Akron. He has been decorated with the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation and Achievement Medals and the Navy Good Conduct Medal. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUGUST 3 – AUGUST 16 , 2026 102 LIMHAKHYUN(LEE);ABIGELKRALIK(CHEN);PO3ROBERTNOVOA(NAVYBAND)