Ravinia 2026 Issue 3

JUST BEFORE Earl Lee was set to re- turn to the Steans Institute at Ravinia as an emerging cellist in , he received a diagnosis that would force him onto a new musical path. Lee will perform at Ravinia for the rst time in years on August —as a mid-career conductor, making his Chi- cago Symphony Orchestra debut leading the musicians in the festival’s nearly - year tradition: the Tchaikovsky Spectac- ular. It has been a long journey from the neurological disorder that derailed his promising future with the cello. He had spent a pleasant and educa- tional summer at Steans in , closely studying chamber music with about other string musicians and pianists at the start of their careers, receiving ex- pert coaching from the faculty—which that summer included the late Leon Fleisher, Claude Frank, and Menahem Pressler—and performing on several concerts. [Lee was part of ensembles for Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio and the First Piano Quartet and Second Piano Trio by Brahms.] But in early , he began to su er from focal dystonia, a rare condition that causes involuntary movements of the hands or ngers. In his case, the spasms in his le middle nger meant that he could no longer control the strings of the cello. “ ree weeks before the summer started, I remember calling Miriam Fried,” he said, referring to the longtime director of the Steans Piano & Strings Program, “and telling her that I can’t play a simple scale, I have to drop out.” For three years, he tried to retrain his nger and recover, but nothing worked. Finally, he realized, “I love music and I have to be a performer.” He decided to seriously pursue conducting, which had been a side interest up until then. Lee still retains fond memories of his Steans summer. “I was continuing to cra my skills as a cellist, but also making music at a high level,” he said. “ e friends I made there I’ve kept in touch with, and they’re all doing won- derful things in their careers.” [ e Steans alumni include the Ariel Quartet, Boston Symphony principal cellist Blaise Déjardin, and Grammy-nominated violinist Tessa Lark.] Walking across the Lawn to hear the CSO was also a highlight. RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 23