Dover Quartet Violist Julianne Lee Announces Departure
Violinist-violist Julianne Lee announced Monday that she will be leaving the Dover Quartet, where she has served as its violist since September 2023.
Violinist-violist Julianne Lee.
She will continue to tour with the Dover Quartet through June 2025, then return to the Boston Symphony, where she had been playing in the violin section since 2006. Prior to joining the Dover Quartet Lee had been assistant principal second violinist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal second violinist with the Boston Pops Orchestra. She was also the Boston Symphony's acting assistant concertmaster from 2013 to 2015.
"Being part of one of the world's most in-demand quartets requires being on the road much of the time, and I’ve realized that this schedule doesn’t align as well with my lifestyle as a position with a home orchestra does," Lee said in a Facebook post. "I’ve missed the routine and musical experiences of the Boston Symphony, and I will be returning to the orchestra in July (2025) for the Tanglewood season."
The Dover Quartet is the Ensemble-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute, and its other members are violinists Joel Link and Bryan Lee and cellist Camden Shaw. Lee had replaced its founding violist, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, who left the quartet in August 2022.
Originally formed at the Curtis Institute in 2008, the Dover Quartet's name pays tribute to "Dover Beach," the piece for voice and string quartet by Samuel Barber, one of Curtis's most distinguished alumni.
Lee earned her bachelor’s degree from the Curtis, where she studied violin and viola, and her master’s degree from the New England Conservatory, where she double majored in violin and viola. She also is a faculty member at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and the Berklee College of Music. She served as principal second violinist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra from 2017 to 2019 and was the second violinist of the Johannes String Quartet.
"This past year with the Dover Quartet has been a wonderful whirlwind of touring, performing, recording, and building friendships," Lee said. "I’ve bonded with Joel, Bryan, and Camden both musically and personally in deeply meaningful ways, and I am incredibly grateful for our time together."
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Replies
I've heard this group twice (or was it three time) in Blacksburg -- including once under their previous name (Old City Quartet). They have always been wonderful, giving extra time to demonstrations for students, and so forth. The viola position has rotated twice, from its founding occupant, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt to a brief stint by Hez Leung.
The fact that they performed in Blacksburg (at least) twice tells you something -- it's hard for even the best quartets to put together a schedule that will bring the members a living wage. To play your hearts out for an audience of maybe 50 with tickets going for $20 doesn't even cover travel expenses. I know there was some additional support for their recitals here, but it can't have been anywhere near what they're worth. They were put up in people's homes when they were here. You can't blame a quartet musician for opting for a more stable orchestra job.
A week from now the Viano Quartet will be here. I'm looking forward to it. They won Banff in 2019. They're performing in the sanctuary of the local Universalist Church, which I don't think even seats 100. Tickets are $25 ($8 for minors).
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September 20, 2024 at 07:43 PM · I wonder how many great players opt to not go the soloist or quartet route for this reason. My teacher was a quartet player, and it sounds like a pretty claustrophobic life, even if you really like your colleagues.